Chaos in BJP meeting in Kanpur Dehat as sitting and former MPs engage in verbal spat
MP Devendra Singh 'Bhole' and former MP Anil Shukla Warsi got into a heated argument and came close to blows.
A district-level government review meeting in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur turned into a battleground on Tuesday after MP Devendra Singh 'Bhole' and former MP Anil Shukla Warsi got into a heated argument and came close to blows.
The incident has left the ruling party in the state red-faced.
The confrontation broke out during a District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meeting in Kanpur Dehat, where both leaders hurled accusations at each other over local political issues, PTI reported, quoting an official. The meeting was held to review the progress of various central government schemes and development projects.
According to the official quoted in the report, the situation spiralled so quickly that District Magistrate Kapil Singh and Superintendent of Police (SP) Shraddha Narendra Pandey had to step in and suspend the meeting midway to restore order.
Anil Shukla Warsi is the husband of Pratibha Shukla, who is a minister in the Yogi Adityanath cabinet.
‘I’m the bigger goonda’
In the middle of the heated exchange between the leaders, MP Bhole said, "If we're talking about goondas, then no one is a bigger goonda than me. I'm Kanpur Dehat's biggest history-sheeter."
Former MP Anil Shukla Warsi hit back, accusing Bhole of packing the Disha Committee with "anti-social elements" who "harass locals and extort factory owners".
Bhole countered, saying, "In every election, he creates such drama. I was called a goonda, but I've been in politics for 50 years. They are the ones spoiling the district's atmosphere. You roam around with Vikas Dubey's brother, who murdered Santosh Shukla, and call others goondas?"
Akhilesh Yadav pokes fun at BJP
The incident provided political ammunition to Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, who seized on the controversy to criticise the BJP dispensation in Uttar Pradesh.
Sharing a small video clip of the clash on social media, Yadav poked fun at the ruling party with a couplet.
"Poorv ke haath mein katora, vartamaan ke hisse mein malaai hai, ye jhagda aur kuch nahin bas batwaare ki ladaai hai (The former has a begging bowl, the present has all cream in his share, this fight is nothing more than a tussle for share)," Yadav quipped on X, adding "BJP jaaye to vikas aaye (Development will happen, once BJP is ousted from power).
SP district president Arun Kumar 'Bablu Raja' also took a dig at the ruling party, remarking, "Two engines of the double-engine government are colliding. Those who once accused others of goonda raj are now fighting among themselves. What development will they bring?"
The incident left the BJP's local unit embarrassed as videos of the confrontation appeared on social media.
What the administration said
District Magistrate (Kanpur Dehat) Kapil Singh told PTI that the Disha committee meeting was underway when the heated arguments broke out between BJP MP Devendra Singh Bhole and former MP Anil Shukla Warsi, who had been permitted by the committee's chairperson to present his views.
"It was only a heated verbal exchange, not a physical fight," the DM said, adding that the meeting was postponed due to the tension.
BJP MP Bhole told PTI that everyone present at the meeting saw and heard what happened.
“I have already said whatever I had to say on the matter," he added.
