A photograph purportedly of Rajasthan Medical and Health Minister Kali Charan Saraf urinating in the open, which has gone viral on the social media, has caused a major embarrassment to the BJP government in Rajasthan. The Opposition Congress has demanded action against the Minister.
In the photo, Mr. Saraf is seen relieving himself on a wall on the roadside at Jhalana bypass in Jawahar Nagar, while his official car is parked nearby. Mr. Saraf's personal assistant is seen standing near the car with his back to him.
While the photo has been shared widely on social media, Mr. Saraf has not commented on its authenticity.
This comes at time when the State government is undertaking a campaign to achieve the open defecation free (ODF) status for the maximum number of cities and towns. The Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) has started imposing a penalty of ₹200 on those found urinating on roads.
Pradesh Congress vice-president and the party's Deputy Whip in the Assembly, Govind Singh Dotasara, has sought action against the Minister for his act, while pointing out that the JMC employees were even manhandling the people caught urinating in public.
The ruling BJP suffered a humiliating defeat in the recently-concluded by-elections at the Mandalgarh Assembly seat and in two Parliamentary constituencies, Ajmer and Alwar, in the State.
