BJP membership drive hits controversies in Gujarat

As part of the membership drive launched earlier this month; the ruling BJP aims to enrol two crore primary members in Gujarat, the home State of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah

Gujarat BJP’s ongoing membership drive has hit several controversies with instances ranging from alleged enrolment of school children and their parents in Surebdranagar to a hospital patient in Visnagar, rural employment guarantee workers in Narmada and local party leaders offering ₹500 to enrol 100 new members in Bhavnagar. 

On Wednesday, a woman and her husband went to visit a public health centre in Visnagar to get an injection. A staff member asked the mobile no and then told her to share the OTP received on the mobile. As soon as she shared the OTC, the patient Prakashben Darbar received a congratulatory message for becoming the primary member of the BJP. 

Her husband, who was accompanying her, raised the objection for stealthily making her the BJP member by the public health centre staff. 

He recorded a video on his phone while talking to the Heath centre staff and Resident Medical Officer (RMO) about why she was enrolled as the BJP member without telling her or asking for her consent. 

“Today morning, I and my wife visited Visnagar Civil Hospital for anti rabies injection as she was bitten by a dog. For the first time, we were asked to share an OTP to get the injection. Initially, we were told to check in at the registrar, and when we proceeded for the injection, the hospital worker requested an OTP. I asked why it was needed, and they replied, ‘If you want the injection, you must provide the OTP.’ When I questioned this rule, they claimed it was a new civil hospital regulation,” Vikumbha Darbar, the patient’s husband told local media after the incident.

He also shared the video he recorded on his mobile phone on social media where it became viral. 

Later in, sources said that the staffer who apparently tricked her into becoming the party member was a contractual employee of a third party agency that provides manpower services to the health centre. 

On Tuesday; in a viral video, a local BJP leader in Bhavnagar asked some workers to bring in 100 new members for enrolment and get ₹500 as the reward. 

Students enrolled as party members

Earlier, a similarly controversy erupted in Surendranagar where the authorities in a local grant in aid school had apparently asked the students to enrol as the party members. 

As per the details; students of Kumari MR Gardi Vidyalaya in Anindra village of Surendranagar district were reportedly enrolled as BJP members, sparking a controversy. 

According to details; the school principal had directed a teacher to send a message to the parents’ WhatsApp group and asking students to bring mobile phones to school. 

Students were also required to bring their guardians’ phones and the teacher shared a link in the WhatsApp group to join BJP as primary members. 

Class 9 students, holding tricolours were enrolled as the members using the BJP link and received party membership cards. After they were enrolled as the party members, their photos went viral, prompting the district education officer to issue a show cause notice to the school regarding the incident. 

The school authorities have apparently explained that the students were asked to bring mobile phones to link their ration cards with Aadhaar and the students might have joined the BJP link to become members on their own. 

Chandresh Prajapati, a teacher in the school, insisted that the students were enrolled at the behest of the Principal Mukesh Nimawat, who in turn blamed the students and maintained that he was not present in the school when the incident occurred. 

In another school also in Surendranagar district, a similarly controversy erupted after the attempt to enrol students as the party members using the link through mobile phones surfaced. 

In Narmada district; Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Chaitar Vasava claimed that the local government officials were asking the workers of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme to enrol as the party members. 

As part of the membership drive launched earlier this month; the ruling BJP aims to enrol two crore primary members in Gujarat, the home State of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. 

The State party chief C.R. Paatil, also the Union Jal Shakti Minister, had said that the Central leadership had not set any specific target for Gujarat. However, “the State unit will aim to enrol at least two crore members and secure top position among other states”.

Mr Paatil said the 2-crore enrolment target is achievable given that nearly 1.19 crore members were registered with BJP in the previous drive six years ago. He said BJP received 1.88 crore votes in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The State unit of the party has given targets to the local leaders to enrol the new members. As per the target list, every MP is required to enrol 10,000 new members personally and seven lakh in the entire constituency while the personal target for a legislator is 5,000 and one lakh new members in the constituency. 

Similar targets have been set for the local municipal councillors, district panchayat and taluka panchayat members and also for the former councillors and panchayat members. 

After the controversial incidents; the State BJP has not reacted or issued any statement regarding any incident. 

Published - September 19, 2024 04:40 am IST