The BJP has served a notice on its Sitapur MLA, Rakesh Rathore, after audio clips purportedly showed a man addressed as “vidhayakji (MLA) from Sitapur” describing the idea of beating plates to defeat the coronavirus as “breaking the record for foolishness”.

The same voice makes similar points in another audio and in a third, refers sarcastically to “Ram rajya” having arrived as he talks to someone with links to chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s office. In the third clip, the man is addressed as “vidhayakji” and “Rathore sahab”.

Thursday’s notice, served a day after the three Hindi audio clips emerged, accuses Rathore of anti-party activities but does not mention the clips or specify the charges. It asks the MLA to explain his conduct within a week.

Rathore’s reaction could not be obtained as both his mobiles were switched off. A message sent to him by this reporter remained unanswered.

The voice of the man addressed as “vidhayakji from Sitapur” in one of the clips appears rather desperate as he suggests people are being “made to do this (beat plates and clap) so that they forget the real issues”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked people to clap and beat thalis (plates) and other metal objects on March 22 evening as a tribute to the health workers battling the coronavirus.

In one of the clips, the caller identifies himself as a BJP leader from Badaun. He requests the person at the other end to call a government official in Badaun to issue a licence (he doesn’t say what kind of licence) for his son.

A part of the conversation goes like this:

Caller: Honourable vidhayakji from Sitapur? I’m calling from Ujyari in Badaun district (mentions his name). I wanted to say that we had met that day.... My son’s licence is pending; I thought you can make a call....

Voice: I will call him and also write a letter to him but success will depend on your luck. They are not issuing licences. The situation is very bad.

Caller: (Laughs.)

Voice: Did you beat plates?

Caller: Yes, we did it a lot. I’m associated with you.

Voice: Very good, very good. Clap and beat thalis.

Caller: Yes, yes.

Voice: Those who beat thalis will survive. Sahuji, those who beat plates will survive. Others will not survive to beat anything.

Caller: Yes sir.

Voice: You beat plates and collect money from every household. You are forcing corona out of the country by clapping and beating thalis! When will you wake up? When will you wake up? You are breaking the record for foolishness. You have become a fool.

Caller: You can hear the conch shell blowing from my house for the past one hour.

Voice: Not only conch shells, they will soon make you blow your back. Will corona run away because of the sound of conch shells? China wins more medals in gymnastics than the rest of the world put together. Doesn’t China know that corona can be dragged out by beating thalis and clapping? How long will anybody try to wake you?

Caller: Yes, yes.

Voice: You are saying with pride that you were clapping and beating plates. They are taking your jobs by asking you to beat the plates. They will engage you in (beating) plates, (blowing) conch shells and clapping and snatch your jobs.

Caller: Yes, yes.

Voice: Can we stop a disease by beating plates?

Caller: No, no. You are right.

Voice: Have you heard this anywhere in the world? But fools like you are becoming crazy. Weak people are becoming crazy. You beat thalis and do Ganga aarti and become happy all your life.

Caller: Yes, yes.

Desperate voice: Do you know who clap? Those who come to your house during weddings and the birth of a child and clap and demand money. You are doing the clapping. You will keep begging your whole life.

Caller: Yes, yes.

Desperate voice: Don’t you apply your reasoning and understand that this disease cannot be dragged out by the plates?

Caller: I know that but everybody is doing this.

Desperate voice: You are also involved in it. Do you know why all are doing this? They have been made to do this so that they forget the real issues, the issues like your licence. In future, there will be issues like jobs and transfers of your children. You will not get anybody to help you because you are busy clapping and beating plates.

Caller: Yes.

Desperate voice: If you start thinking about jobs for your children then you will apply your reason and question them (those in power). Won’t you?

Caller: Yes sir.

Desperate voice: I will write a letter for you and make a phone call. You keep clapping and beating thalis.

Another clip shows a similar conversation between the man with the desperate voice and someone who appears to be a businessman. The man with the desperate voice tells the other sarcastically “to keep beating thalis”, only to be asked why he doesn’t raise the matter despite “sitting with” the chief minister.

In the third clip, the man with the desperate voice talks to someone who identifies himself as secretary to an official associated with chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s office.

Secretary: The chief minister expects you to tell him about the distribution of food grains and medicines in your area.

Desperate voice: It’s excellent, excellent, excellent.

Secretary: Is everything fine?

Desperate voice: Yes, yes. There is Ram rajya everywhere. It’s great, great. Ram rajya is everywhere.

Secretary: You don’t have any problem?

Desperate voice: No way. There is Ram rajya.

Secretary: Vidhayakji, if you want you can send your feedback to me.

Desperate voice: No, no. Write down that the MLA said there is the rule of Ram everywhere. The people are so happy that God has arrived here.

Secretary: Is there everything?

Desperate voice: More than needed. Nobody has any problem. It’s the rule of Ram. It’s like what we used to read about the rule of Ram.... I can only praise so much. Tell me if you think I should add something more.

Secretary: No, no Rathore sahab, you are right.

Desperate voice: I can repeat these words again and again.

In the notice to Rathore, state BJP general secretary Vidyasagar Sonkar has said: “We are receiving complaints about your continuous activities against the BJP. Your activity demeans the image of the party and comes under indiscipline. The party has taken it seriously.”

The notice adds that state BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh has directed the MLA to explain his conduct, else disciplinary action would be initiated after a week.

Rathore, a first-time MLA, had joined the BJP just before the 2017 Assembly elections. He had earlier been with the Samajwadi Party and then with the Bahujan Samaj Party.