With just few days left before the elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s members are tripping over themselves in ridiculous rhetoric.

The BJP MLA from Thana Bhawan, Suresh Rana, courted controversy when he said that curfew would be imposed in Kairana, Deoband and Moradabad if he won.

“Yadi maidan maar liya to Kairana, Deoband, Moradabad mein curfew lag jayega mitron…. ki Suresh Rana phir jeet ke aa gaya… … Bharat Mata ki Jai ka naara lagate hue Shamli se Thana Bhawan tak juloos niklega (Curfew will be imposed in Kairana, Deoband and Moradabad if I win the polls again. A procession from Shamli to Thana Bhawan will be carried out with slogans of Bharat Mata ki Jai).”

Rana UP BJP vice-president is also implicated in cases related to Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013.

When contacted, Rana denied making any controversial comments. “I have not made any remark against any religion. I have only said that if I win and the BJP comes to power in the state, then those hooligans who had forced other people to migrate from Kairana, Deoband and Moradabad and other areas, those hooligans will have to migrate from these areas,” he said.

Meanwhile, another BJP MLA, Sangeet Som is doing his bit for the party. On January 17, Sangeet Som’s campaign vehicle allegedly broadcasted video clips from the 2013 riots. The vehicle was seized by police.

“We have seized both the vehicle and the pen drive and the videos will be screened to see if any objectionable content was being shown to voters. Birendra Singh, the driver of the vehicle, and Chandrashekar Singh, who is the MLA’s personal assistant, have been booked under Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code. We are trying to ascertain whether this was sanctioned by the concerned MLA himself and what the nature of his involvement was. Till then, we cannot book him,” Chandra Pal Singh, circle officer (Sardhana), said.

In another poll bound state, Goa, the Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar was ostensibly fine with voter bribery.

“…I understand if someone organises a rally and you take Rs 500 for moving around with (the candidate), that is not a problem. But when you vote, choose the lotus (BJP’s poll symbol). This you must remember,” Parrikar told the corner meeting at Chimbel, a suburb of the state capital.

Interestingly, in a similar incident involving the Aam Aadmi Party chief, Arvind Kejriwal the Election Commission directed the state poll officials to file an FIR against him on Sunday, January 29.

The Delhi Chief Minister on January 8, had urged voters to ask for double the going rate as a bribe.