‘People left to god’s mercy in UP… we can’t raise voice… will be labelled baaghi’: BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh

Singh attacked the flood measures while talking to mediapersons during a visit to the affected areas in his constituency on Thursday. A video of his remarks went viral Saturday.

Residents use a boat to travel at a flood-affected area, near the banks of the Rapti river, in Gorakhpur. (PTI)

In the video, Singh says meetings would be held in the past on preparations for flood control, but no such talks were held this year. “The people are at god’s mercy… Maine apne jeevan mein itna kharab intezaam nahin dekha baadh ke prati (In my life, I’ve never seen such poor arrangements for floods),” he said, talking about how people were left waiting for water to recede to get even relief.

“Regret is that we cannot even express our feelings,” Singh said. “Bolna bandh hai, sunna hee hai keval… Jan pratinidhiyon ki zubaan bandh hai… Bologe, baaghi kehlaoge. Sujhao doge, koi maanega nahin (Raising one’s voice is not allowed. One can only listen… People’s representatives are silent… Speak up, and you will be labelled a rebel. Give some suggestion, nobody will listen).”

A flood-affected residential area due to the rise in the water level of the Pandu river, in Kanpur, Friday, Oct. 14, 2022. (PTI)

Speaking to The Indian Express, Singh said the “fault lay with the district administration”. “Earlier, meetings were organised with public representatives (for flood control), they were taken into confidence and information was shared. But the administration was not serious this time.”

The water level was two-feet higher this year than the past floods, Singh said. “But officers sent the wrong reports to the government. The arrangements they claim do not exist on the ground.”

Singh, who says his own village Bishnoherpur in Gonda was flood-affected, gave the example of a bridge over the Saryu river near Ayodhya that got washed away. “I have written 10 letters in the past two years to the authorities to take measures to protect that bridge.”

On why he said public representatives could not raise their voice, Singh said: “Pehle kisi ki bhi sarkar ho, chaahe SP ki ho, BJP ki ho, Congress ki ho, thoda alochna sun lete they. Ab alochna nahin sunna chahte, aur apne upar le lete hain. Agar vyavastha par sawal aap uthate hain to usko personal le lete hain, jaise aap jan boojhkar sarkar par attack kar rahe hon (In any government in the past, be it of the Samajwadi Party, the BJP or the Congress, criticism was tolerated to some extent. Now, criticism is not tolerated and is taken personally. If you raise a question over the system, that is taken personally, as if you are deliberately attacking the government).”

A flood-affected residential area near the banks of the Rapti river, in Gorakhpur, Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022. (PTI)

Singh has been elected to Parliament five times on BJP ticket and once, in 2009, as an SP candidate. He has represented Gonda and Balrampur too in the past. His son Prateek Bhushan is a two-time MLA from Gonda Sadar.

Singh is also a president of the Wrestling Federation of India since nearly 10 years and vice-president of the United World Wrestling-Asia. In that capacity, he is a constant sight at tournaments, be it national or international, senior or junior. With a microphone in his hand, Singh oversees bouts and often shouts out instructions to referees, stops and starts bouts and, at times, even throws the rule book at the judges.