Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Jul 15: Critics slammed Uttarakhand minister Swami Yatishwaranand after a photograph, in which his face mask was seen hanging on the thumb of his foot, went viral. The minister was said to be not wearing a mask on his face during the time and neither were the two other ministers, Bishan Singh Chuphal and Subodh Uniyal, nor the two other party leaders, who were all huddled in an indoor meeting. Although, the date and the place of the meeting could not be confirmed immediately.

After the picture went viral on social media, opposition leaders slammed the minister for allegedly not taking Covid containment protocols seriously. “The photograph showing cabinet minister Swami Yatishwaranand hanging his mask on foot just shows that he and his government put Covid-19 guidelines... under their feet,” said Qazi Nizamuddin, Congress MLA from Haridwar.

Congress state spokesperson Garima Dasauni asked, “When lakhs of people lost their lives to Covid-19 pandemic in the country, what sort of message Swami Yatishwaranand, who is a cabinet minister in Uttarakhand government, is delivering to the people by putting his mask on [his] foot?”

Dasauni further said that it was futile for the government to expect people to follow the Covid guidelines if people in responsible positions, such as the minister, are not following them.

Even the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), condemned the minister. “It just shows how much the BJP leaders care about the Covid-19 guidelines when many died in the second wave due to the inadequate arrangements made by their government at the Centre. Swami Yatishwaranand should apologise for his behaviour to the public for his despicable act,” AAP’s state spokesperson Amarjit Singh Rawat said.

The embarrassment follows state governments decision on Tuesday to cancel the Kanwar Yatra to destinations in the state to prevent the spread of the pandemic.