Uttar Pradesh Education Minister Anupma Jaiswal on Friday kicked up a controversy by saying that ministers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are ensuring proper implementation of the schemes by visiting Dalit households, despite getting bitten by mosquitoes.
Jaiswal is the third BJP minister to have made such a gaffe in a week.
When asked about the controversy on Uttar Pradesh minister Suresh Rana's visit to a Dalit household, Jaiswal said, "Schemes are made for benefitting all the sections and to ensure proper implementation, ministers are paying several visits, even if mosquitoes bite them all night."
Her comment comes after Rana sparked an outrage by having a meal with a Dalit family as a part of the BJP's campaign. He later denied the claims that the dinner was an impromptu photo-op and the host was not informed until the very last minute.
"The whole village (Lohagadh in Aligarh district) is inhabited by Dalits. I received a lot of affection and moreover, the food was prepared in the village itself," the minister told ANI.
Earlier on Tuesday, Rana dined dine at a Dalit home, but the photographs of a catered feast that emerged over social media triggered the controversy.