A patient seeking treatment at a hospital in Gujarat’s Mehsana district was reportedly made a BJP member without her consent. This issue came to light after the staff at Visnagar Civil Hospital allegedly took the patient’s mobile number and requested an OTP while she was receiving an injection. A video has gone viral on social media.

The BJP’s “Primary Membership Campaign – 2024” is facing increased scrutiny as more such controversies have surfaced. On Tuesday, in another video Bhavnagar corporators allegedly offered money to people who sign up new BJP members, as reported by The New Indian Express.

Prakash Ben Darbar went to the Visnagar Civil Hospital on Wednesday for treatment after she was reportedly bitten by a dog.

“This morning, I took my wife to Visnagar Civil Hospital, and for the first time, we were asked for an OTP to get an injection. Initially, we were told to check in at the registrar, and when we proceeded for the injection, the hospital worker requested an OTP. I asked why it was needed, and they replied, ‘If you want the injection, you must provide the OTP.’ When I questioned this rule, they claimed it was a new civil hospital regulation,” Vikumbha Darbar told local media.

It was later discovered that the staff were allegedly using the OTPs to enroll people as BJP members.

“I gave the OTP, trusting it was part of the hospital procedure, but shortly after, I received a message confirming BJP membership. I immediately realized it wasn’t related to the hospital and confronted the worker, saying, ‘This is for BJP membership, not the hospital.’ The worker left without a word. I told the hospital staff they were acting unlawfully,” Darbar recounted.

The hospital authorities said they have not received any formal complaints regarding the incident.

Visnagar Civil Hospital Superintendent Parul Patel stated, “I have not received any formal complaint regarding this incident. I became aware of it only after seeing the video. I also discovered that the employee involved is not a permanent staff member. There is no BJP membership activity happening at the hospital. The individual in question was recently placed here by an external agency.”

Meanwhile, a viral video surfaced on Tuesday that showed Yuvraj Singh Gohil, former chairman of the BMC Standing Committee in Bhavnagar, offering money for new BJP memberships. In the video, Gohil is heard saying, “Make 100 BJP members and take Rs 500 from me.”