'SP join kar liya kya': Ravi Kishan-BJP councilor stoke controversy
What's the story
A video of a purported telephonic conversation between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councilor Vishwajit Tripathi and Gorakhpur MP Ravi Kishan has gone viral on social media. The call was made during the recent heavy rains and waterlogging in Gorakhpur city. During their conversation, Kishan refers to Tripathi as "Brahman Devta" and asks, "Samajwadi Party join karliya hai kya (Have you joined the Samajwadi Party)?" Tripathi responds by asking Kishan whether he had joined the BSP.
Call concerns
Tripathi flags waterlogging in several areas
In the audio, Tripathi raises concerns about widespread waterlogging and asks Kishan about his location.
To this, Kishan replies that he is at Taramandal and asks Tripathi where he is.
Tripathi then flags waterlogging in several areas and alleges that floodwater regulators at Tarkulahi and near Palm Paradise were not working. He seeks Kishan's intervention.
The MP assures him that he will look into the matter, saying he is already monitoring the situation.
Twitter Post
Video of purported telephonic conversation
"Have you joined Samajwadi Party?" BJP MP snubs BJP corporator
— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) September 26, 2026
Gorakhpur BJP MP Ravi Kishan snubbed BJP corporator Vishwajeet Tripathi who confronted the former over waterlogging. Ravi Kishan was heard asking the corporator, "Have you joined Samajwadi Party?".
In response,… pic.twitter.com/twmJUwVJOm
Call rationale
Tripathi claims ignorance of who recorded or shared video
After the video went viral, Tripathi said he didn't know who recorded or shared it.
He explained that he called Kishan while sitting with locals during heavy rainfall because irrigation department officials were unreachable and unresponsive to municipal representatives' concerns.
Meanwhile, Kishan said he was on the streets personally monitoring the situation and coordinating with administration efforts.
Rainfall response
Kishan says immediate priority is to address public grievances
Kishan termed the rainfall as unprecedented, saying Gorakhpur hadn't witnessed such heavy rain in nearly two decades.
He said many parts of Uttar Pradesh were witnessing exceptionally high rainfall.
The MP stressed that the immediate priority was to address public grievances and restore normalcy.
He also urged that such situations should not be politicized and efforts should focus on resolving problems rather than seeking political advantage.
Political response
SP reacts to the video
The Samajwadi Party also reacted to the video. District president Brijesh Gautam said the party's doors remained open for those unhappy with BJP policies.
Referring to Tripathi, he said the councilor was earlier elected on an SP ticket before joining BJP.
Meanwhile, BJP regional general secretary Satendra Sinha said any action would be decided by their disciplinary committee but personally felt such issues should be raised within party forums instead of social media platforms.