PATNA: Former Union minister and Congress MP Tariq Anwar has courted controversy after a video showed him riding piggyback on farmers while visiting flood-affected areas in Bihar’s Katihar district.
In the viral clip, villagers are seen wading through a waterlogged field, carrying Anwar on their backs, last Sunday. The Congress MP from Katihar was on a two-day visit to his constituency to assess the damage caused by the flood and to evaluate the overall flood situation. He toured the flood-affected areas by tractor and boat.
According to reports, Anwar tried to travel by tractor, but when the vehicle stalled and walking was needed, the MP, citing ill health, rode on locals’ backs to visit the area.
BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla commented on ‘X’, “Sense of entitlement of Congress. Even in flood-affected areas, do they want VVIP protocol? – Kharge ji insults farmers – Congress MP Tariq Anwar mocks flood relief – sits on the shoulders of people while “touring” flood-affected areas, Congress MP in VVIP mode, Rahul Gandhi in Vacation Mode, AAP in hiding Mode, Only PM Modi in work mode.”
Defending Anwar, Katihar District Congress President Sunil Yadav contended that the villagers themselves had picked up the MP due to his ill health. “We used a tractor, a boat, and a 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 Anwar was feeling unwell; his head was spinning. As soon as he told us about this, villagers picked him, purely out of love, and walked around,” he claimed.
