Bihar BJP Minister Hands Out Blankets In 40°C Heat, Sparks Mockery Ahead Of Key Assembly Polls

Bihar Sports Minister Surendra Mehta handed out over 500 blankets to impoverished residents of Ahiyapur village in a sweltering April month with temperatures soaring between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius.

Ahiyapur is located within Mehta's Bachhwara Assembly constituency.

Photo Credit: https://www.facebook.com/surendra.mehta.16568

The distribution drive was organised to mark the 46th Foundation Day of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Posting photos from the event on his official Facebook page, Mehta wrote, "On the occasion of the 46th Foundation Day of the BJP - the largest party in the world, working in the spirit of Antyodaya and nation-building - celebrations were held today in Ahiyapur village of Govindpur-2 Panchayat, Bachhwara Assembly constituency, and people were honoured with clothes."

Videos from the event showed a significant crowd gathered at the venue, with hundreds of men and women collecting blankets while Minister Mehta and other local BJP leaders observed from the stage.

However, the timing of the giveaway - during peak summer - has prompted ridicule and criticism online. Several videos mocking the gesture have gone viral on social media.

Former CPI MLA from Bachhwara, Awadhesh Rai, condemned the move. Speaking to NDTV, he said, "Had the Sports Minister distributed these blankets on Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji's birthday (25 December), people might have actually had a use for them. But I'm astounded he chose to hand out blankets in the scorching sun. There's no sign of any development in terms of sports facilities or playgrounds for children."

He added, "This is nothing more than a political gimmick with an eye on the elections. They think they can deceive people with such theatrics. But the public is no longer ignorant - they know who genuinely works and who doesn't. Just look at the roads - clouds of dust, potholes everywhere - and no solutions. But yes, they're distributing blankets in the blazing heat."

The distribution comes just ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, where the BJP, allied with Nitish Kumar's JD(U), is aiming to hold onto power.