A BJP lawmaker from Karnataka has come drawn severe criticism on social media after a video of him surfaced, showing him unsuccessfully attempting to row a boat when he was supposed to be aiding flood relief efforts. The Honnali constituency MLA, MP Renukacharya tried, and failed, to row through knee-deep water in the Belimallur village even as the people pulled the boat along.

The video shows the leader struggling to row the boat filled with people through floodwaters even as a group of people intermittently keep pulling him forward. At one point, the MLA almost falls when the boat is pulled.

The clip further shows the MLA making attempts at rowing an Agarala boat (coracle) occupied with people through flood-waters even as a group of people keep pulling the boat forward. At one point in the video, the MLA almost lost his control when the boat is being pulled. Many of those present at the site cane be seen clicking selfies with him.

Renukacharya was on a visit to the flood-affected parts of his constituency to take stock of the rescue operations. The video, posted by news agency ANI, went viral with many people on social media criticising him for what they said was a “photo op”.

The unprecedented deluge in Karnataka has affected a large number of people since last week. So far, Karnataka floods has left 40 people dead, 14 missing and displaced four lakh people in 80 taluks of 17 districts. Renukacharya’s constituency has been affected by the floods that have struck parts of Karnataka. The number of flood-hit talukas across 17 districts of the state rose to 86 and there are 1,181 relief camps across the state that accommodate over 3.32 lakh people. The death toll due to the floods in the state rose to 42 on Monday, even as rescue operations were expected to continue throughout the day.

People slammed the MLA saying his presence at the site was a publicity stunt and criticised him for not helping those who were actually affected by the floods.