A Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister's insensitivity towards the mother of an army officer who was killed in a recent encounter in Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir has triggered outrage on social media. A video of the minister, Yogendra Upadhyay, forcing Captain Shubham Gupta's mother to cooperate for a photograph as he handed her a cheque is being circulated and criticised by netizens, especially Opposition members.
In the video, Captain Shubham Gupta's mother can be seen wailing, asking the minister and his associates to let her go. "'Pradarshani mat lagao' (Stop this exhibition)," she is heard crying, as the men behind her, hold her straight for the photograph. Upadhyay looks visibly unfazed as he forcibly hands her the cheque, of Rs 50 lakhs according to reports, and poses for the photograph nonchalantly.
Forcing A Photo-Op
The mortal remains of army officer Captain Shubham Gupta were brought to his family home in Uttar Pradesh on November 24. Captain Gupta's mother cried inconsolably, as she came to terms with her son's death. But that did not seem to perturb Yogendra Upadhyay, who had come to pay respect and monetary compensation to the Captain's family for their loss.
Upadhyay's disrespectful behaviour is being widely condemned on social media, with even opposition parties joining in to slam the Yogi Adityanath government minister.
Rajya Sabha MP and Aam Admi Party spokesperson Raghav Chadha wrote, "The B in BJP should stand for Besharam (shameless) and P for publicity)
Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party shared the video on X, saying it is an insult to the martyr's family.
Shiv Sena UBT's Priyanka Chaturvedi posted, "Won't allow the martyr family to grieve in peace minus the cameras"
Another Twitter user wrote, "Thousands or crores cannot fill the place of their son."
Politics, Publicity, and Politeness
Instead of truly consoling Captain Shubham Gupta's mother, Yogendra Upadhyay chose to hand her a cheque. He made a publicity stunt out of his donation, holding her tight so she would pose for a media photograph-- a gimmick which exposes the pretentious stunt. It is truly baffling to see politicians behave this way even in the public eye.
Upadhyay's actions, although could be well-intentioned, are a clear reflection of how no amount of compensation could account for reparations after a major loss. Our government has provided monetary support to many families who have borne tremendous losses or crimes, sometimes even due to negligence by the government, but what help is the money going to do for the scars that are engraved in the families' lives?
Views expressed by the author are their own
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