BJD minister makes officer strap his sandals, says 'I'm the VIP'

A senior party leader of the Biju Janta Dal (BJD), Yogendra Behera, has come under severe criticism for making a personal security officer (PSO) strap his sandal during an Independence Day programme in Odisha's Keonjhar district.

A video of the incident released by ANI shows the Odisha minister for small and medium enterprises, Yogendra Behera, asking a PSO to tie and later untie his sandal straps during a public event attended by thousands.

Asked about the incident by local reporters, Behera said,

“I am the VIP. I have hoisted the flag; he (PSO) has (done that).”

The minister later reasoned that he had a knee problem and it was all right for the PSO to loosen his sandal strap. “He was helping me out,” Behera added.
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Reacting to the incident the BJP called it a “shameful incident.” 

“There is no distinction between government staff and personal staff in the Naveen Patnaik administration. The ministers think…Odisha is their fiefdom,”Odisha BJP spokesperson Sajjan Sharma told the press later.