Gorakhpur Waterlogging Row: BJP MP Ravi Kishan and Corporator Trade Barbs

A dispute over waterlogging in Gorakhpur has spilled into public view, with BJP MP and actor Ravi Kishan and party corporator Vishwajit Tripathi trading sharp remarks in a phone conversation that has since circulated widely on social media.

The exchange, conducted in a mix of Hindi and Bhojpuri, began when Tripathi called the MP to complain about waterlogged areas after heavy rainfall in the city. Kishan sought to calm him with a caste-coded honorific, addressing him as "Brahmin devta" and urging him to listen. Tripathi rejected the framing, retorting that his complaint had nothing to do with his caste and asking where the MP was while the city was submerged.

Kishan then asked whether Tripathi had switched loyalties to the Samajwadi Party, drawing another sharp reply from the corporator, who demanded to know whether the MP had instead joined the BSP.

Tripathi posted several videos of the episode on his Facebook page. In one, Kishan is heard saying he was monitoring the situation from the Nauka Vihar government resort. Tripathi said he reached the spot within minutes but found the MP unreachable. In a caption accompanying the clip, he took a swipe at Kishan's past remarks that Gorakhpur is like Spain, writing that the "MP from Spain" had summoned him and then disappeared.

The corporator also alleged that floodwater regulators at Tarkulahi and near Palm Paradise were not functioning properly, and pressed the MP to intervene with officials. Kishan maintained that he was already tracking the situation.

The MP later said the rainfall in Gorakhpur had been unprecedented. He said the priority during the crisis was to address people's grievances and restore normalcy, and that such situations should not be politicised.

BJP regional general secretary Satendra Sinha said any disciplinary action would be decided by the party's committee. In his personal view, he said the matter should have been raised on a party forum rather than on social media. He described the heavy rain as a natural calamity and said party workers and government agencies had worked through the night.

The Samajwadi Party also weighed in. Its district president, Brijesh Gautam, said the party's doors were open to those dissatisfied with BJP policies, noting that Tripathi had earlier been elected on a Samajwadi Party ticket before joining the BJP.

Gorakhpur is the home turf of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.