A BJP MLA in Uttar Pradesh was on Wednesday caught on camera allegedly threatening and berating a “Muslim” vegetable vendor in Lucknow and commanding him to not be seen in the area again.
The video was widely shared on social media, triggering outrage against Brijbushan Rajpoot, MLA from Charkhari, Bundelkhand.
In the video, Mr. Rajpoot is seen without a mask, scolding the vegetable vendor and repeatedly asking him to state his name. The vendor, who is wearing a mask, hesitantly murmurs that his name is Raj Kumar.
“Your name is not Raj Kumar, speak the truth, what is your name,” the MLA asks the vendor. “Sahi bolo warna maar maar ke theek kar dunga tujhe (Speak the truth, or I will beat you and set you right),” he warns him.
‘Abused’ over identity
Mr. Rajpoot, who is allegedly standing at the gate of his Lucknow residence, then threatens a boy who is with the vendor to reveal his name if he wants to “avoid consequences”. The boy, who appears to be the vendor’s son, blurts out, “Azir-ur-Rehman”. Following this, the MLA abuses the vendor for hiding his Muslim identity and chases him away.
After the duo leaves, the 38-year-old BJP MLA is heard speaking aloud: “He is a Muslim but lying and using a Hindu name to sell vegetables.”
Later, talking to a news agency, Mr. Rajpoot said he reprimanded the vendor for allegedly lying. Sixteen vegetable sellers in Kanpur and one in Lucknow have tested positive for COVID-19, the MLA said.
In another video clip, BJP MLA from Barhaj constituency in Deoria district, Suresh Tewari was allegedly seen telling people not to buy vegetables from Muslim vendors. The video, which emerged on Tuesday, has been widely shared on social media, triggering a controversy. “I am saying openly don’t purchase vegetables from Muslims,” the MLA can be heard saying in the clip.
U.P. BJP spokesperson Chandra Mohan said the party would look into the circumstances in which the MLA issued such a statement.
