India News | Odisha Minister Courts Controversy by Showering Money on Singer, Drawing Blood from Donor
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Odisha minister Sarada Prasad Nayak courted controversy by drawing blood from a volunteer at a blood donation camp and also showering money on a singer at a Kawali programme in Sundergarg district.
Bhubaneswar, Oct 18 (PTI) Odisha minister Sarada Prasad Nayak courted controversy by drawing blood from a volunteer at a blood donation camp and also showering money on a singer at a Kawali programme in Sundergarg district.
Nayak, the minister of Labour and ESI, was seen in viral videos showering money on a singer and drawing blood from a man in separate incidents.
Though a nurse was standing at the blood donation camp held at the Rourkela Government Hospital on October 16, Nayak used a needle and drew blood from the donor.
Questions were raised from various quarters about how the minister, who is the MLA of Rourkela, could draw blood at a camp without any experience.
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Nayak, however, defended his action while talking to reporters on Wednesday after the videos went viral.
“The donor requested me to draw blood and I respected his wishes with the help of a nurse. During the Covid-19 pandemic, when people were afraid to come outside, I worked with the health workers for 24 hours,” he said.
In another video, Nayak was seen throwing currency notes during a music programme organised at a hotel in Sundargarh district on Tuesday.
“The renowned Kawali singer was singing the glory of the country and the audience wanted to honour him. They requested me as a public representative to honour the singer. I offered him some cash which is purely from my hard-earned money. It is unfortunate that the matter has been portrayed in a bad light,” he said.
The BJD leader was also seen dancing on the stage.
On this, Nayak said, “I can put steps in dance numbers since my student days. It was a festive occasion. The people requested me to dance and I just kept one or two steps to the wishes of the people. I am a conscious citizen and I am fully aware of my actions which are not intended to do any harm to society.”
Nayak's political opponents, however, are not ready to buy his explanations.
Sundergarh's BJP MLA Kusum Tete said, “It is said that such incident of showering money during Kawali programmes is common. But if the minister has showered money, it shows that he has no dearth of money. He should offer money to people who are starving.”
Stating that people consider money as a form of Goddess Laxami, Tete wondered what message he is giving to the society.
Local Congress leader Biren Senapati said, “The minister considers that bad publicity is better than no publicity. So, in order to remain in the limelight, Nayak is doing all such acts.”
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)