Only recently Hemaben Acharya, one of BJP’s oldest founding members, lamented the way the party descended into a nightmare of authoritarian rule, as democracy itself was slowly being dismantled.
Further confirmation of BJP’s intimidating tactics was evident in Vadodara where the party’s district president Satish Patel threatened that homes would be demolished if the panel of four contestants failed to win in the area.
Such utter disdain for both democracy and decency is a hallmark of BJP’s ‘bend to our will or face the consequences’ approach—a tactic so ingrained in the party’s DNA that it barely raises an eyebrow anymore.
“If you ensure the victory of the BJP panel, I guarantee you that no homes will be demolished…but if anyone betrays us here and the BJP does not win, I also guarantee you that I won’t let even a single home stand here…,” Patel was heard speaking in Gujarati.
The remarks were reportedly made when Patel, accompanied by BJP’s City Unit President Vijay Shah, overseeing the Karjan municipality polls, was campaigning in Ward 7 on Sunday.
According to a media house, the party is up against its one-time stalwart and sitting three-term corporator, Mohammad Yusuf Sindhi, a candidate from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The BJP, too, has included a Muslim candidate, Mumtaz Hussain Multani.
Local leaders claim that Sindhi, a former vice-president of the Karjan Municipality, commands significant influence in the area. But it’s clear now that the only influence BJP seems interested in is the kind that comes with threats and coercion.
Multani was among the four BJP politicians who were reportedly heard telling voters on Sunday night that roughly 500 dwellings on two government plots that were supposedly built under Sindhi’s last term may be demolished. The settlements, referred to as Wali Nagri and Muhammad Nagri, have been at the heart of the local effort.
Patel allegedly cautioned the electorate to “not go astray.” He was quoted as saying, “It is time to shake out the people who have looted the citizens in the name of the BJP… Ravan had so many boons but…Lord Ram annihilated him… There is only this much expectation from you that without fearing anyone, you should come out… Whatever he (Sindhi) has done, I will be with you and ensure that we will bring him out and punish him (Ene bahar lavi ne, tamara saathe rahine, hoon pote saza karwanu chu)…”
Shah reportedly endorsed Patel’s comments saying, “It is okay if we do not have power, but dishonest people sitting in the seat of power is not tolerable for the BJP… There are lots of people here, who are from the Muslim community and the Dalit community… we trust you that you will choose the BJP’s symbol of lotus and ensure that our panel wins… We have to…set an example of victory of trust over betrayal.”
Meanwhile, Gujarat AAP leader Gopal Italia told a certain section of the media, “What do you expect from goons (gundas) of the BJP? Right from the top to the bottom, they have leaders issuing threats to voters, opponents, people, and anyone who displeases them… It is not the first time that a BJP leader has threatened anyone…”
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