AHMEDABAD: A startling revelation has emerged from Visnagar Civil Hospital in Gujarat's Mehsana district, where a patient seeking treatment was reportedly made a BJP member without consent. The incident came to light after the hospital staff allegedly took the patient's mobile number and requested an OTP while the patient was receiving an injection. A video of the event has gone viral on social media.
The BJP's ongoing "Primary Membership Campaign - 2024" is facing growing scrutiny as fresh controversies emerge. Another video surfaced on Tuesday showing Bhavnagar corporators allegedly offering money to those who enrol new BJP members. Now, in a separate incident at Visnagar Civil Hospital, a patient seeking an injection was reportedly enrolled as a BJP member without her knowledge.
According to the patient's husband, he along with his wife named Prakash Ben Darbar visited the Visnagar Civil Hospital on Wednesday for an injection after she was reportedly bitten by a dog.
"This morning, I took my wife to Visnagar Civil Hospital, and for the first time, we were asked for an OTP to get an 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.
It soon came to light that the staff at the hospital were allegedly collecting OTPs to enrol people as BJP members.
"I gave the OTP, trusting it was part of the hospital procedure, but shortly after, I received a message confirming BJP membership. I immediately realized it wasn't related to the hospital and confronted the worker, saying, 'This is for BJP membership, not the hospital.' The worker left without a word. I told the hospital staff they were acting unlawfully," Darbar recounted.
The civil authorities, however, denied receiving any complaints regarding the incident.
Visnagar Civil Hospital Superintendent Parul Patel told local media, "I have not received any formal complaint regarding this incident. I became aware of it only after seeing the video. I also discovered that the employee involved is not a permanent staff member. There is no BJP membership activity happening at the hospital. The individual in question was recently placed here by an external agency."
Meanwhile, in a viral video that surfaced on Tuesday, Yuvraj Singh Gohil, former chairman of the BMC Standing Committee in Bhavnagar, has sparked widespread attention on social media. In the video, Gohil is heard offering a deal, stating, "Make 100 BJP members and take ₹500 from me." The incident was also widely discussed and has become the talk of the town.