Gorakhpur feels like Spain: Ravi Kishan's remark leaves Yogi Adityanath in splits

Keeping the spotlight away from BJP MP Ravi Kishan is a hard nut to crack!

After ‘jaldi the late’, ‘home from work’, and his signature tune ‘koteshwaraye ’, the superstar of the Bhojpuri film industry and the two-time Parliamentarian, Ravi Kishan, has once again grabbed the limelight. This time, the MP has compared Gorakhpur, his electoral constituency, with Spain, emphasising the development that the area has achieved. The remarks were made in front of the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, who was seen bursting into laughter. They also spread like wildfire on social media platforms, with many internet users reacting to them.

So, what did Ravi Kishan say?

Addressing a public gathering in Gorakhpur, Kishan first requested the media and the social media influencers to highlight the city's growth under the BJP rule. While concluding his speech, he switched to his trademark Bhojpuri dialect and said, “Let the world know that we are proud of Gorakhpur. I feel like it’s Spain. I feel like this is an amazing place. It is a smart city." Adding further, he said that he has travelled across the world, seen all the major cities, and is still amazed by the place and the major transformation it has undergone over the years.

In the same speech, Kishan also took a jibe, which many believe was aimed at the opposition, as he said, "We can't do anything for people who are blind and can't see the developmental work (Tum aankh ke aandhe ho, to hum kya karein?). He also said that both Gorakhpur and UP have come a long way, leaving behind the shadows of the past.

Although the remarks were aimed at highlighting the growth and transformation of Gorakhpur, they left the senior BJP leadership, including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, in massive laughter.

CONGRESS HITS AT RAVI KISHAN

The speech soon escalated into a political battle, with the Congress Party taking a cheeky dig at the actor-politician, who had unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Jaunpur constituency as a Congress candidate.

Posting a sarcastic video on X, the party wrote, "BJP folks have this incredible confidence for throwing stuff around."

The video featured two side-by-side panels. The left panel showed visuals of waterlogged parts of Gorakhpur city, while the right featured a modern highway in Spain. Taking a sarcastic swipe at Kishan’s comparison, the party switched the labels, placing “Spain” over the Gorakhpur visuals and “Gorakhpur” over the still from Spain.

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate also took a jibe at Kishan, saying, "They were throwing around so much on stage that even the Chief Minister himself and everyone else started laughing. Ravi Kishan ji, you are a Member of Parliament, not some jester!"

HOW INTERNET USERS REACTED TO THE VIDEO

As the video went viral, internet users shared their opinion on Kishan's comparison, with many taking a tongue-in-cheek swipe at him.

Pointing at the city's longstanding problem of waterlogging, a user wrote that Gorakhpur can be compared to Venice rather than Spain.

Another user wrote that Gorakhpur does feel like Spain, however, the 'S' is missing.

Another user compared Ravi Kishan with Flamenco, a traditional art from Spain's Andalusia province, as both are dramatic.

Ravi Kishan, however, has not backed off from the comments despite the backlash from the Congress and the trolling by some of the internet users.