Maharashtra water minister Tanaji Sawant said the Tiware dam breach was due to crabs. However, he is not the only one to issue such bizarre statements. Politicians in India are often inclined to speak such statements, leaving citizens baffled and even indignant.
Bengaluru: "Did we hear ‘crap’?" people asked. "I'm sure he meant ‘crab’," others retorted. The reference is to a statement issued by none other than the water minister of Maharashtra, Tanaji Sawant.
As the Tiware dam in Maharashtra breached, many were inconvenienced and the death toll stands at 18, as of now. Instead of giving some solace, the water minister said, “No no, it's not like that. The dam became operational in 2004. It has been storing water for last 15 years but nothing happened earlier. It was empty for some time and then water was stored later and there was leakage due to it. There is a huge problem of crabs around the dam and that resulted in the leakage. Whatever problems were brought to the notice by the villagers to our irrigation department were addressed immediately. But whatever happened was unfortunate."
Insensitive would be an understatement in this regard. But even on a cursory glance, politicians have not shied away from making such horrendous statements.
First in the list is Ajit Pawar, who was the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra when he made a crass statement.
It was the year 2013. Maharasthra was going through a water crisis. As a farmer protested the lack of action by the state government, Ajit said, “He is on a fast for the last 55 days. If there is no water in the dam, how can we release it? Should we urinate into it? If there is no water to drink, even urination is not possible."
Naturally, it drew a lot of flak from the opposition. But his tomfoolery did not end with the “urination” remark. In relation to power load-shedding, he said, “I have noticed that more children are being born since the lights go off at night. There is no other work left then."
Next is New Zealand's aspiring politician Joe Glenn. But his statement was not about water or dams, it was about urine. It is reported that he said on national television thus: “I drink my own urine, which cures me of arthritis.” This statement was so preposterous for party to bear that they expelled him.
The next too is about urine, but some see it as absurd. Many of you might be aware that former Indian Prime Minister Morarji Desai used to drink his own urine for health reasons. A Sri Lankan lawmaker reportedly admitted to drinking his own urine, but unlike others, he said he diluted it.
Read Exclusive COVID-19 Coronavirus News updates, at MyNation.