Bhubaneswar: A purported video showing panchayati raj minister Rabi Narayan Naik riding piggyback on his personal security officer (PSO) while visiting a flood-affected area in Kandhamal district has triggered a political storm.While the opposition BJD and Congress said it reflected the insensitivity of those in power, BJP dismissed the allegations as an attempt to make an issue out of a “non-issue”.The video, shared on social media by BJD Rajya Sabha member Sulata Deo on Sunday, shows Naik riding on the back of a man on a slippery road as around 20 people accompany them.BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty described the visuals as “astonishing and deeply disturbing”, saying they raised a question mark about human dignity and the treatment of security personnel.Calling the incident another example of the govt’s “comedy of errors”, Mohanty alleged that the administration was grappling with “confusion and lack of coordination” even as people in Ganjam and Gajapati faced hardships in the aftermath of Cyclone Arnab.He claimed the incident had become symbolic of a govt that had “lost touch with the people and realities on the ground”. He urged the govt to take the matter seriously and uphold the dignity of security personnel.Deo termed the video “disgusting” and “unacceptable in a civilised world”, alleging that it reflected the “arrogance” of ruling party politicians.Naik could not be contacted for comment. Calls and text messages seeking his response went unanswered. However, a social media page defended the minister’s action, claiming he had suffered a leg injury.“Despite the injury, his desire to reach out to people reflects the true spirit of public service. The photographs show that despite difficulty in walking, the minister remained determined to reach people in remote areas,” the post, put up on Monday, stated.BJP spokesperson Manoj Mohapatra, however, hit back at BJD, saying the opposition was trying to turn a “non-issue into an issue”.“Everybody in Odisha knows how BJD ministers used PSOs for all sorts of things. Nobody has been demeaned here. They are reacting out of context,” Mohapatra said.CM Mohan Charan Majhi had assigned eight ministers to oversee disaster management in eight districts predicted to bear the brunt of Cyclone Arnab. Naik was assigned Kandhamal, where three of a family died in a landslide.Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhakta Charan Das termed Naik’s piggyback ride “highly ridiculous” and alleged that the minister chose to ride on his PSO’s back to avoid soiling his shoes while visiting a landslide-hit area in Kandhamal.“The incident reflects the insensitivity of those in power. At a time when people in Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal are facing immense hardship due to floods and landslides, such conduct by a minister has deeply hurt people across the state,” Das said.