A phone conversation between BJP councillor Vishwajit Tripathi and Gorakhpur MP Ravi Kishan, held during heavy rain and waterlogging in the city, has triggered a political controversy after a video of the exchange surfaced on social media.
Tripathi said he did not know who had recorded or circulated the conversation.
The Samajwadi Party also reacted to the exchange.
Describing the rainfall as unprecedented, the MP said Gorakhpur had not experienced such heavy rain in nearly two decades and that several parts of Uttar Pradesh had received exceptionally high rainfall. He said the immediate priority was to address people’s grievances and restore normalcy. He also said such situations should not be politicised and that efforts should instead focus on resolving the problems. Its district president Brijesh Gautam said the party’s doors were open to people dissatisfied with BJP policies and seeking to oppose the ruling party. Referring to Tripathi, Gautam said the councillor had earlier been elected on an SP ticket before joining the BJP. Sinha described the heavy rainfall as a natural calamity and said BJP workers and government agencies had worked through the night to manage the situation.
He said he had called Kishan while sitting with local residents during the heavy rainfall, as irrigation department officials were not accessible to municipal representatives and were not responding to their concerns. Kishan, meanwhile, said he was personally on the streets monitoring the situation and coordinating with the administration.
