Former Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Naresh Agrawal marked his entry into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with a controversy, as he said, "Dancers and film actors were preferred over (him) for the nominations for the Upper House of Parliament".
The remarks, made at the BJP headquarters in Delhi, referred to the nomination of actor Jaya Bachchan by the SP for a Rajya Sabha seat from Uttar Pradesh, ignoring Agrawal's claim.
But as it turns out, Agrawal is no stranger to controversy, having made bizarre statements all too often. What is even more interesting is that many of his controversial remarks have been made against Narendra Modi and the BJP, of which he is now a part.
So here's a list of the many controversial utterances made by Naresh Agrawal over the course of his political career.
1. When He Made A Casteist Slur Against PM Modi
Just a month before he joined the BJP, Naresh Agrawal, during an event organised by traders, referred PM Modi as "Teli". At the programme in Lucknow, a person while raising concerns related to the business community mentioned that both Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah belonged to the same section of the society.
“Tell them to make laws in favour of the community...Amit Shah is from our community, but Modi is a ‘Teli’,” Agarwal said, prompting a strong reaction from some members of the audience who were apparently not pleased at the remarks.
Later, speaking to reporters after the programme, Agrawal even seemed to defend his comments.
Every person has a caste, and there is nothing new in this. If any leader is not telling his caste, then public will tell his caste...Let me give you a piece of advice, if you want to know about your three generations, then contest an MP or MLA election. The opposition will tell what you don’t know. We are not talking about the caste of the prime minister, people are talking about it.Naresh Agrawal
2. When He Made A Classist Slur Against PM Modi
As if the casteist slur was not enough, Agrawal even mocked Modi for being a tea-seller back in 2013. In a public meeting, Agrawal had said that Modi aspired to be PM, but someone rising from a tea shop can never have a national perspective.
“If you make a ‘sipahi’ (constable) as ‘kaptan’ (Superintendent of Police), he can never have an SP’s approach but will have that of a constable,” he had said, ridiculing Modi’s credentials.
However, he later claimed that the media had distorted his comments and presented them out of context.
Meanwhile, Modi had reacted to the statement saying:
The question is not about Modi. It is about how people born in rich families, people who have spent their life like royalties are mocking the poor and that is why they are using such language.Narendra Modi
3. When He ‘Mocked’ Hindu Gods, That Too in Parliament
Agrawal attracted the ire of the BJP-led government when he made comments about Hindu gods in what was reportedly a mocking manner in July 2017, during a discussion on lynching in the Rajya Sabha.
The uproar in the Upper House of the Parliament eventually made Agrawal express regret over his remark.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley slammed his comments, after he was quoted as saying:
He has linked each of the Hindu gods with a brand of alcohol. If he would have made this statement outside Parliament, he would’ve been booked. Do you have the audacity of repeating this in relation to any other religious denomination? Would you do this?Arun Jaitley
4. When His Comments on Kulbhushan Jadhav Made BJP Retaliate
In December 2017, after the controversy over Kulbhushan Jadhav's meeting with his wife and mother in Pakistan, Naresh Agrawal had said, “If Pakistan has considered Kulbhushan Jadhav to be a terrorist in their country, then they will treat him accordingly. In our country too, the terrorists should be treated in a similar manner. They should be treated with strictness.”
The remarks invited condemnation from BJP leaders.
5. When He Said BJP Wants to Politicise the Triple Talaq Issue
At the time when the Triple Talaq bill was being tabled in the Rajya Sabha in early January 2018, Naresh Agrawal said that the BJP wants to make the issue a political one, adding that the BJP cannot talk about women's empowerment.
The BJP wants to make it into a political issue. BJP cannot talk about women’s good. And it definitely cannot talk about Muslim women’s good.Naresh Agrawal
When asked about the presence of Muslim women in the Parliament, he said, "What is the guarantee that they were Muslims. Did you see? It may be that they are members of BJP's Mahila Morcha."
6. When He Mocked Modi by Referring to Women in a Derogatory Manner
In 2013, Naresh Agrawal reportedly poked fun at the BJP for asking secular parties to ally with it.
He was quoted as saying, "In my village, there is a saying that if you ask a **** for blessings, she will ask you to become like her. Similarly, the BJP is asking everyone to become like them."
(With inputs from PTI)
Video Editor: Mohd Ibrahim
Video Producer: Anubhav Mishra
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