BJP MLA Parag Shah turns beggar for a day on guru’s advice

Maharashtra BJP MLA Parag Shah, who declared assets worth over Rs 3,383 crore in his 2024 election affidavit, spent a day on the streets of Ghatkopar dressed as a beggar. The legislator gave up his security detail, vehicles, and expensive possessions, and used makeup to avoid recognition. He said the exercise, undertaken on the advice of his Jain spiritual guru Namramuni during a special religious month, gave him a glimpse of the "reality of life."

Shah recounted that a passerby gave him Rs 20 and a samosa seller offered food without charge. "Mumbai city is such that people here are always ready to help one another," he said. The realtor-cum-politician also sat by the roadside and consumed the food he received. After removing his disguise, he revisited the same spots to observe people's reactions without them knowing his identity.