Former Uttar Pradesh minister Naresh Agarwal and his son Nitin were embroiled in a controversy after two videos surfaced on Monday, showing 200 ml plastic liquor bottles in lunch packets distributed to people who attended a Pasi Sammelan organised by the duo at the revered Shravan Devi temple in Hardoi on Sunday.
The two videos were widely shared on Monday. In one video, children are seen showing the liquor bottles placed neatly in the lunch packets. The other video shows men who attended the event finding liquor bottles in their packets as well.
Following the controversy, BJP MP from Hardoi Anshul Verma wrote a letter to chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday and sought stern action against the Agarwals.
“Nareshji has insulted and mocked the Pasi community and distributed liquor from such a revered temple,” he said.
When asked about the video and the allegations made by the party MP, Agarwal said, “Who is Anshul Verma?”
A former Rajya Sabha member, Naresh Agarwal had left the Samajwadi Party in 2018 to join the BJP. He is preparing the ground to contest the 2019 general elections on the BJP ticket from Hardoi. Of late, he has been trying to make inroads in the Pasi community, which is dominant in Hardoi.
The sammelan was organised at the revered Shravan Devi temple in Hardoi on Sunday. The members of Pasi community from Hardoi and villages attended the sammelan.