Bollywood actor Sonu Sood has landed himself in a new controversy after defending a food vendor who was caught on camera spitting on rotis meant for customers. In a post on social media, Sood compared the vendor's act to that of Shabari from the Ramayana, who tasted berries before offering them to Lord Ram. Sood claimed that if Lord Ram could eat berries tasted by Shabari, why couldn't he eat rotis that had been spat on? He justified the act as "humanity" and wrote, "We should not forget humanity. Jai Shri Ram."
However, his post sparked outrage among social media users, who slammed him for defending the vendor's unsanitary act. Many pointed out that Shabari's intention was to offer only sweet berries to Lord Ram out of devotion, whereas the vendor's act was driven by religious hatred. A user named Rosy asked Sood to visit the vendor's stall and make a video of himself eating the spat-on rotis. Many others criticized his comparison, saying that the vendor was not like Shabari, and Sood was not like Lord Ram. Political analyst Abhishek Tiwari responded, "The roti maker is not Shabari, and you are not Ram." Another user wrote, "You should be ashamed of this comparison! This is just to prove your one-sided secular ideology. You have no respect for the kanwarias who follow satvik food, their days of penance mean nothing to you. Disgusting."
It is worth noting that Sood's post comes after the Uttar Pradesh government recently ordered food establishments and vendors along the Kanwar Yatra route to display their names.
This move was aimed at identifying vendors who were allegedly spitting on food meant for customers. Sood had earlier reacted to this order, suggesting that instead of displaying their names, food establishments should display nameplates with the word "humanity." His controversial post has sparked a heated debate on social media, with many calling out Sood for his insensitive comments.
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