National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Saturday mocked the cleanliness drive at the Parliament complex, saying it was one of the cleanest places in the country.

The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister was responding to a Swachh Bharat programme held inside the Parliament complex in which several BJP MPs, including actor-turned-politician Hema Malini, could be seen wielding a broom.

"But the Parliament complex is one of the cleanest places in the country, especially when the sessions are on, so what were they sweeping?" Abdullah, a three-time member of the Lok Sabha, tweeted.

A short video of the Bollywood actor cleaning a road inside the complex came in for severe criticism on social media as the broom of the Mathura MP was not even touching the ground as she swept.

"Ma'am please practice how to wield the (broom) in private before your next photo op," Abdullah tweeted. "This technique you've employed won't contribute much to improving cleanliness in Mathura (or anywhere else for that matter)."

Pre-empting any criticism, the NC vice-president said: "I knew sweeping the dormitories in Sanawar (Himachal Pradesh) would be useful for something. I'm now qualified to comment on the (sweeping) technique of others."

PTI