Usha Thakur, the minister of tourism and culture in Madhya Pradesh, claimed that party members will have to pay a fee of 100 rupees to take photos with her.

“Selfies take too much of our time,” Thakur told the reporters in Indore. We sometimes arrive an hour late for the event, therefore I’ve decided that Bharatiya Janta Party Mandal employees would have to pay a fee of Rs. 100 for snapping a photo. The cash will be handed up to the Mandal treasurer. The funds can be used for the party’s social work.”

She further said, “I don’t like garlands because it has religious importance so I have asked to replace bouquet with books. This will upgrade the BJP party office library.”

“A lot of time gets wasted in clicking selfies, and often we get late by hours for our programs. From the (party) organizational point of view, we thought any person clicking a selfie (with her) should deposit Rs 100 in the treasury of the BJP’s local Mandal unit,” she said.

Thakur has already made news for her divisive remarks.

During the second Covid-19 wave, Thakur urged people to practice Yagya to cleanse the atmosphere and rid it of the virus.

Thakur, who is frequently seen without a mask, claims the virus will not affect her since she follows a Vedic lifestyle that includes reciting Hanuman Chalisa and practicing Yagya with cow dung cakes.

Congress, on the other hand, took a shot at her comments. “BJP has now evolved as a part of businesses because they see profit and loss in everything,” said JP Dhanopia, a spokesperson for the MP Congress Committee. A party volunteer who works on the campaign trail and assists an MLA in winning an election must now pay money to pose with the same MLA. These leaders will pay a higher price for their attitude in the forthcoming election.”

“Minister Usha Thakur was expressing that in a casual mood,” BJP spokesperson Rajneesh Agrawal said. There were a lot of people laughing. A politician has the right to make a joke as well.”