Katihar: Congress Member of Parliament (MP) Tariq Anwar on Sunday, September 7, visited flood affected areas in Bihar's Katihar. However, his visit sparked a controversy. A video of villagers carrying Anwar on their shoulders while wading through flood-hit areas surfaced online.
As the clip went viral online, it sparked massive outrage. Notably, the Congress leader was on a two-day visit to his parliamentary seat. He inspected the Shivnagar-Sonakhal area of the Dhuryahi panchayat, the Barari and Manihari assembly constituencies.
The grand old party came in support of the MP. Katihar District Congress President Sunil Yadav said that Anwar was "unwell," due to which the villagers carried him on their shoulders.
"We used a tractor, boat and bike to travel. During the inspection, our truck got stuck in the mud, and we had to walk around 2 km. It was extremely hot and Mr Anwar was feeling unwell," Yadav told NDTV. The Kathiar Congress president further stated that the villagers carried Anwar on their shoulders "purely out of love."
The Congress MP also shared pictures and videos of his visit to the flood-affected areas. "Today, I inspected the flood-affected areas of Manihari and Barari. People are facing severe difficulties due to the floods and river erosion. I stand with the affected families in this difficult time and appeal to the government for prompt relief and concrete solutions," Anwar said in his X post.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shehzad Poonawalla accused slammed the Congress over Anwar's viral video. "Sense of entitlement of Congress Even in flood affected areas they want VVIP protocol?" he said.
Meanwhile, the flood situation in Bihar remains critical. The Ganga,Gandak, Kosi, and Ghagra rivers are flowing closed to danger levels.
Notably, the assembly elections in Bihar are scheduled to take place later this year. The Election Commission is yet to announce the schedule.
