It appears PM Modi’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan isn’t the only thing BJP leader Satish Upaddhyay reduced to a photo-op. It has now been revealed that the party’s Delhi state unit President had begun his Run for Unity only a couple of meters before the finish line.
(Image via IndiaToday.com)
“When Modiji flagged off the run, Satishji was with him and all of us began to run. I had planned to complete my run as soon as possible and then wait to see how long Satishji and other BJP leaders took,” said celebrity marathon runner Milind Raman. “But to my utter shock, as I was approaching the finish line, cameramen were waiting and a couple of meters before the line, Satishji was posing like Usain Bolt. When the cameraman said ‘ACTION!’ Satishji ran a couple of steps ahead, flashed the V-sign, panted heavily, and even asked for water!”
The Congress Party once again, pounced on the opportunity to lash out at the BJP. “This is disgraceful! A real mockery of all those who genuinely ran for unity, but I’m not surprised at all. One can see from the likes of Nitin Gadkari that the BJP is a party that has never believed in real running,” said Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha. Aam Aadmi Party founder Arvind Kejriwal said, “Last year, Modiji ensured that no photo-op like this happened in Gujarat and that every one ran. Give me a chance and I’ll do the same in Delhi next year.”
Later in the day, a nervous Satish Upadhyay walked into BJP headquarters to answer the summons of party president Amit Shah. However, to his horror, instead of Amit Shah, he found a combative Dr Subramanian Swamy waiting, who promptly leapt from his seat and began blasting Upadhyay. “You liar! You coward! You ignoramus!” Swamy began and went on for a full 15 minutes.