A video with Congress MP from Bihar's Katihar district, Tariq Anwar, went viral on social media after his visit to flood-hit areas in the state on Sunday.
In the video, Anwar can be seen piggybacking on one of the locals to conduct the inspection, with another holding his left leg all the while, as the locals waded through a muddy, waterlogged field.
This was a part of Anwar's two-day visit to his constituency. On Sunday, he had inspected the Shivnagar-Sonakhal area of the Dhuryahi panchayat in the Barari and Manihari Assembly segments.
The video immediately sparked trouble for Anwar on X, as netizens trolled and criticised him for inspecting the flood-hit areas in this manner.
"None of the politicians care about the public. Their feet shouldn't get dirty, yet they put on a show as if they are the greatest servants of the people," one user wrote in Hindi.
"And he says he's a grounded politician," another user mocked.
However, local party officials said that he was "unwell", and thus unable to walk through waterlogged patches, which led to the villagers carrying him.
In a public forum that took place a while later, villagers demanded relief and rehabilitation after the floods in the state had ravaged their homes and fields, stating that they had only received empty promises so far.
Anwar assured them that he would demand a special relief package from the central and state governments.
"I stand with the affected families in this difficult time and appeal to the government for prompt relief and concrete solutions," he later wrote in a post on X.