On Camera, Madhya Pradesh BJP Leader's Threat For Homes With Congress Flags

"Click pictures of all those houses which have Congress flags. Deprive them of all services," a BJP leader is heard telling a crowd in a widely shared video from Madhya Pradesh. As the video went viral on social media, the BJP leader, Prahlad Patel, claimed that the video was "doctored" and sought an investigation by the police.

Mr Patel is the BJP candidate for the mayoral elections in Ratlam, about five hours from capital Bhopal.

According to reports, Mr Patel was upset at seeing Congress flags put up at a locality where he was campaigning after which he issued an open threat.

"Click pictures of all those houses which have Congress flags. Deprive them of all services. It doesn't matter if we don't get votes from 5-10 houses but we need to teach them a lesson," a furious Prahlad Patel is heard saying in the video.

Mr Patel has called for an investigation into the "doctored" video.

"I am going to request the police to investigate this. Whoever is behind this should be punished," he said.

Mr Patel is facing a tight contest from Congress's Mayank Jat in the Ratlam mayoral contest.

After the video went viral, the Congress candidate issued a statement calling it the arrogance of BJP leaders.

On Saturday, Chief Minister Shivraj Chauhan addressed a roadshow and meeting in support of Prahlad Patel. While the meeting by Mr Chouhan reportedly did not witness large crowd, a public meeting by Mayank Jat was well attended.

Ratlam is among the five cities of Madhya Pradesh which will vote in the second and last phase of urban local body polls on July 13.