Locked down UP minister tries his hand at cutting children’s hair, gets mixed response

“It did not go well for my four-and-a-half-year-old daughter Sukriti. However, it looked fine on my eight-year-old son Kartikeya,” Dwivedi said.

A video showing him cutting the children’s hair has gone viral on social media, drawing a number of reactions.

“The video was made by my wife to show my act to family members and relatives. Later, when I saw the video, I shared it,” the minister said.

Salons in Uttar Pradesh like elsewhere have been shut since March 25 when the entire country went into a lockdown imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Asked how the children reacted to the new skill he has developed but not yet perfected, the minister said they were happy.

“I was apprehensive but the children were happy. In fact, my daughter said, ‘no problem, father’. The son did not want his hair to look weird but now he tells everyone he got a haircut from his father.”

About his daily routine at home, Dwivedi said it begins with yoga and watching Ramayan on TV.

“After this, I speak to workers in my assembly constituency Itwa. Since March 24, I have been connecting with people daily from 11 am to 12 noon on Facebook Live. Then it is time for Mahabharat.”

Then again from 1 pm to 6 pm, he remains in touch with the people of the district.

“People of Siddharthanagar, especially the labourers who are in Ludhiana, Pune, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and other places, call up and narrate their problems. The location and phone number of a person among the callers is noted and shared with the nodal officer appointed for the respective state by the UP government and their problems are redressed,” the minister said.

Towards night, Dwivedi, also the in-charge of Sonbhadra district, seeks the day’s report and feedback from officials and party-office bearers.

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