Gorakhpur: Murder accused MLA Amanmani Tripathi shared the stage with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and even sought blessings by touching his feet at an event here on Saturday.

Tripathi (35), an independent MLA from Nautanwa assembly constituency in neighbouring Maharajganj district, was sitting a few seats away from Yogi Adityanath. He later got up, greeted the chief minister and touched his feet. Tripathi is facing charges of murdering his wife Sara. He also handed over few papers to Adityanath during his brief interaction.

Senior BJP MLA from Campiyarganj Fateh Bahadur Singh, who was overseeing preparations of the programme, said that he came to know later that Tripathi had touched the feet of the UP chief minister. Even BJP workers were surprised to see the murder accused MLA sharing the stage with Adityanath, who has repeatedly said that law and order is his top priority. BJP's Gorakhpur unit spokesperson Satyendra Sinha however said that, "Any public representative can greet the chief minister and touch his feet. There is nothing wrong in it."

Amanmani's father Amarmani Tripathi has been elected MLA from Nautanwa four times and was a minister in the SP government headed by Mulayam Singh Yadav. Amarmani Tripathi is currently serving a life sentence in the Madhumita Shukla murder case.