On Friday, BJP’s Mahisagar district convener Kawan Patel threw a birthday party in public, in the middle of the road, breaking all social distancing rules. In a video that went viral on social media, Patel could be seen cutting his birthday cake with a sword as his friends poured alcohol all over him and themselves. It must be noted that Gujarat is grappling with increasing cases of the coronavirus infection and is treating as many as 10,662 patients with the infection at the moment. It is also noteworthy that Gujarat is a dry state i.e there are stringent alcohol prohibition laws.
तलवार से काटा केक,
शराब की महेफील और बिना सोशल डिस्टन्स के मज़ा ले रहे है ये है,
जीस का जन्मदिन हे वो है, महीसागर ज़िले का बीजेपी का कन्वीनर कवन पटेल हैं। @SP_Mahisagar @BJP4Gujarat pic.twitter.com/rkcF8AlsvV— Gopi Maniar ghanghar (@gopimaniar) July 11, 2020
Besides Patel, those involved in the act include BJP district president for Mahisagar, Yogendra Mehra, reported India Today. It has been said that the police have arrested seven people in the matter on charges of consuming liquor and brandishing weapons in public. Mahisagar Deputy SP NV Patel told Ahmedabad Mirror, “We have arrested Kavan Patel, Yogendra Mehra and five others based on the video that went viral. We are also in the process of identifying others who were at the party and will duly arrest them. The sword with which the cake was cut has been seized and the accused have been arrested for offences including prohibition, violation of notification and Epidemic Diseases Act for not wearing masks and failure to maintain social distance.”
However, BJP’s regional spokesperson Bharat Pandya issued a statement saying that the BJP was in no way involved in the event and those participating were neither BJP office bearers nor active members of the party.
મહીસાગરનાં વિરપુર ની જન્મદિવસની દારુ સાથે ની પાર્ટીની ઘટનાને ભાજપ સખ્ત શબ્દોમાં વખોડી નાંખે છે. આ અશોભનીય, નિંદનીય છે. લોકડાઉન હોય કે ન હોય કોઈપણ પરિસ્થિતિમાં આ પ્રકારની ઘટના ચલાવી ન લેવાય. : પ્રદેશ પ્રવક્તા શ્રી @bharatpandyabjp #PressNote pic.twitter.com/QJ4Rpu7XW8
— BJP Gujarat (@BJP4Gujarat) July 12, 2020
Last year, in a similar incident, Nikhil Murkute, a BJP leader from Belagavi, Karnataka was arrested for celebrating his birthday by cutting the cake with a sword.
This is not the first time that the members of the BJP have been found to be involved in such an incident during the lockdown. In May, BJP President of Ward No. 7 Anil Parmar and seven others had been arrested by the Vadodara police after they were found celebrating a birthday party violating all lockdown norms, Indian Express had reported.
Related:
BJP MLA violates lockdown, invites 100 people to birthday bash