Devendra Fadnavis said he was not aware of his pictures on relief material.
A day after a minister's selfies in a flood-ravaged region of Maharashtra triggered a controversy, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' pictures on the packets of flood relief material have sparked an uproar in the state. The opposition has slammed the BJP government, saying it is seeking credit for helping people, months before the state goes to polls.
Apart from Mr Fadnavis, the stickers also had pictures of BJP MLA from Ichalkaranji, Suresh Halvankar. The relief material was being supplied to people of flood-hit Sangli and Kolhapur.
"They didn't provide aid to the flood-hit people for two days so that they could get time to design and print stickers with their pictures on it? For this show-off, they will keep the people hungry," Nationalist Congress Party leader Dhananjay Munde was quoted by news agency IANS as saying.
Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana chief Raju Shetti said that the government will go to any lengths to get publicity.
"It is not proper to advertise like this on government-supplied relief materials. The people of the state will teach them an appropriate lesson," Mr Shetti was quoted by the agency.
Reacting on the controversy, Mr Fadnavis said he was not aware of his pictures on relief material.
"I am not aware of the stickers. The government's work and relief material must be identified but there is no need for any photos," he told NDTV.
Over 28 people have been killed in Maharashtra in the last few days due to heavy rainfall and floods. In Sangli, the worst-hit districts of the state, 14 people died on Friday after a boat engaged in rescue work overturned.
Maharashtra Minister Girish Mahajan on Friday sparked a controversy after a video released by news agency ANI showed him posing for selfies and smiling and waving while he was inspecting a flood-hit district.
With inputs from IANS