Aap Ki Adalat: Top Bhojpuri film star and BJP MP from Gorakhpur Ravi Kishan on Aap Ki Adalat revealed how in 2014, he joined the Congress, after a secret ‘coffee’ meeting with Priyanka Gandhi, and kept Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh waiting. He contested Lok Sabha polls from Jaunpur on Congress ticket and lost badly. Ravi Kishan left Congress after three years in 2017, joined BJP and contested 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Gorakhpur and won by a handsome margin of more than 3 lakh votes.
Narrating the incident to Rajat Sharma in ‘Aap Ki Adalat’ show, the Bhojpuri star said, “My family members, including my wife had told me in 2014 that Congress was losing. But at that time, some planet (grah) was dancing on my head. I was supposed to meet Amit Shah ji who was to welcome me to BJP with a ‘patka’, Rajnath Singh ji had planned the meeting, but somehow two persons, who were ‘nakshatras’ (characters) sitting in my car, made the vehicle go towards the right instead of left, and made me meet a senior Congress leader who had invited me for coffee.
Rajat Sharma: Who offered you coffee?
Ravi Kishan: A senior female Congress leader.
Rajat Sharma: I can tell you and the audience sitting here. Priyanka Gandhi had invited you to coffee?
Ravi Kishan: My wife had told me to shake my head and leave for the other meeting. But I said ‘yes’ and I lost. Everybody makes mistakes in life, and I did.
Rajat Sharma: Manoj Tiwari was cleverer, he joined BJP in 2014 and became MP.
Ravi Kishan: Yes, Manoj is smart. He was always smart. He uses his brain. I flow with my emotions and then I lose.
On the ‘Pathan’ film controversy, Ravi Kishen said, cinema industry must not make films that go against India’s culture and ‘sanskaar’ (tradition). He, however, added that ‘BJP is not against Bollywood or cinema industry’.
Ravi Kishan was replying to a question on the controversy created by some pro-Hindu outfits over wearing of saffron coloured bikini by Deepika Padukone in the ‘Besharam Rang’ song in Shahrukh Khan’s movie ‘Pathan’.
Ravi Kishan said, “Before ‘Pathan’ movie was released, our Prime Minister said clearly that BJP leaders and MPs must refrain from making comments. When Yogi Maharaj (UP CM) went to Mumbai, he said, film industry is a business where it provides jobs to many people, and it should be seen as a business. At the same time, film industry should remain within ‘maan maryada’ (limits of decency). Definitely, they must not make movies against our country or against our culture and sanskaar. You have seen the box office opening of ‘Pathaan’ and it has made more than Rs 1000 crore business. BJP is not against Bollywood or cinema industry.”
Rajat Sharma played a 22-year-old Bhojpuri movie clip of a female actor dancing in Ravi Kishan’s film, while wearing saffron dress, and asked: “Do you want to say that no more questions will now be raised on saffron coloured bikini?”
Ravi Kishan: ” I don’t know who raised this and when. Colour has nothing to do with culture and sanskaar. There are many in the opposition who fear defeat in 2024 and also in 2029. Many of them go through our Twitter handles, and some even create fake handles to create controversy.”
The BJP MP praised Yogi Adityanath’s government for using bulldozers to demolish properties belonging to criminal mafia gangs. “I have visited almost every district in UP while shooting for films. I have seen pile of dead bodies in front of my eyes, bodies floating in Ramgarh lake, I also witnessed gunshots, I saw criminals waving guns, but when Maharaj Ji came to power in 2017, he ensured law and order. There were mafia gangs ruling four districts, but now no criminal gang has the courage. Bulldozer is necessary, because if you threaten sisters and daughters, kill people and frighten children and society, bulldozers will be used. Maharaj Ji said, mitti me milayenge, and he is doing that. “
Ravi Kishan recited a slogan at the show: “Jali Ko Aag Kahte Hain, Bujhi Ko Raakh Kahte Hain, Raakh Se Jo Barood Bane, Usko Yogi Adityanath Kahte Hain”.