Took selfies in Latur to appreciate relief work, clarifies Pankaja Munde
Mumbai: After drawing flak from all quarters for clicking selfies in drought-hit Latur, Maharashtra's Rural Development Minister Pankaja Munde on Monday clarified that she clicked those pictures to appreciate the work done by the local administration in this hour of crisis.
Munde took to micro blogging site Twitter to put forth her stand for clicking photographs on the drought-hit land.
"This pics are work done by govt n ppl participation it's my dept n I was working from day 1 sence of satisfaction if it rains we are ready," she tweeted.
This pics are work done by govt n ppl participation it's my dept n I was working from day 1sence of satisfaction if it rains we are ready
— PankajaGopinathMunde (@Pankajamunde) April 17, 2016
"It was like finding an oasis in a desert for me. By levelling false allegations on me, who are these people trying to help, drought hit villagers or farmers? These pictures were clicked in the heat of 45 degrees C to show my appreciation for the work my department has done. There was no excitement in it, only contentment," she added.
Munde's 'selfie moments' did not go down well with the Sena, which said on the one hand women are the worst sufferers of the drought and on the other, a woman minister is seen happily clicking selfies in a parched area.
"This was a serious tour. Such selfies could have been avoided or it just dilutes the impact of a drought tour. It is mainly the women who have to walk for miles to fetch drinking water and here a woman minister happily clicks selfies. This is a strange incident," Shiv Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande said.
Congress spokesperson Al-Nasser Zakaria the act of clicking selfies was a shameful one and that the present ministers need to become less media savvy and focus on work.
NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said Munde, instead of being on a drought tour, has made it like she was on a junket and that by clicking pictures, she has mocked the plight of farmers.
"This government is not serious about drought. There was no planning to tackle drought since last September even where there was sufficient data available, he said.
Munde had on Sunday posted a series of selfies on Twitter while reviewing the efforts on water conservation in drought-hit Latur.
Pankaja Munde taking selfie with farmers in Latur. (Photo: Twitter)Munde's selfies with the hapless farmers have gone viral on the social media for which she is also trolled by the users.
