New Delhi: Refusing to hold a broom for a photo-op for a cleanliness drive under the Swachh Bharat Mission, BJP’s MP from Bahraich, Savitri Bai Phule termed the exercise a publicity stunt, according to the Hindustan Times.
“I don’t want to just pose for the drive so I did not hold the broom. I am an elected member of parliament from a reserved seat. If I just hold the broom, will this place get cleaned? Karypalika aur Vidhayika ka mann pahle saaf hona chahiye samaj ke prati (The executive and the legislature should first have a clean heart towards the society)”, she told the newspaper.
BJP MP Savitri Bai Phule. Credit: ANI/Twitter
The MP also emphasised that the government would be better served directing its efforts in providing employment to the youth, particularly those of the so-called lower castes and the Muslim community. She added that the cleanliness drives were being used to divert attention from the real issues that the country faces.
Also read: How Is Modi’s Swachh Bharat Dealing With the Public Health Crisis of Open Defecation?
Phule’s constituency Bahraich remains a poor performer under the Swachh Bharat Mission. Of a total of 1,054 villages, 810 have declared themselves open defecation free (ODF). However, as The Wire has pointed out, it only takes an unverified claim on paper to declare a village ODF. Of the 810 that have been declared ODF, only 97 or 11% have been verified ODF by the administration. The Wire has also reported that the verification process itself is not independent.