What if a tête-à-tête with your friend were recorded and went viral on social media? This is exactly what happened to Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel and Jagdish Vishwakarma, whose portfolios include Protocol (Independent Charge). 

They were chatting about the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) ‘Sadasyata Abhiyan 2024’ (National Membership Drive) during a press conference on October 6, without realising how close they were to cameras. A video clip of their conversation, with audio intact, has blown up on social media. 

In the conversation that was accidentally caught on camera, Patel is heard reacting to a comment by Vishwakarma on the targets of the membership drive with “Je thaay ae, kaadhi mele to kaadhi mele” (Let’s see what happens, if they remove us, let it be.)

The Sadasyata Abhiyan was launched on September 2 to expand BJP’s membership and reinforce its organisational structure ahead of several upcoming elections.

From the horse’s mouth 

Here’s a roughly translated version of the snippet that was caught on camera: 

Vishwakarma: “Party... PM (Narendra Modi) sir has asked for a report. How many votes did you get? How many members did you create? It’s confirmed news. How many voters do you have and what percentage did you achieve?”

Rushikesh Patel: “What will this prove? Will it prove performance?”

Vishwakarma: “No, the party checks it all over differently.”

Patel: “Whatever happens, let it happen…”

Vishwakarma: “I’m not saying that. I’m saying the party is doing its whole analysis.”

Panchal: “Most of the assembly seats have reached 45-50%.”

Patel: “I have reached 50-55%.”

Vishwakarma: “Of the votes you got?”

Rushikesh Patel: “I got 90,000 votes and created 50,000 members.”

This inadvertent recording serves as a reminder of the thin line between political strategy and public scrutiny in the age of social media. It also highlights the pressure on party members to meet specific targets.

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