The nation has been gripped by the Lok Sabha election fever. The political parties and leaders are leaving no stone unturned to woo voters. But, while wooing the voters, the leaders end up making controversial statements. While some target their competitors, others make bizarre declarations in public. Unable to keep their mouth shut for long, politicians in India more often than not end up creating a stir and stoke controversy. From Narendra Modi to Rahul Gandhi, most politicians have made controversial remarks in Lok Sabha elections 2019.
Those familiar with Indian politics will not be surprised on hearing controversial comments. Sometimes they make you doubt their sanity; at other times they make you laugh and cry at the same time. But there are times when these statements make it to the headlines for stupidity. So here’s a list of politicians who made controversial remarks during campaigning this Lok Sabha election:
- Narendra Modi
(Photo by Sachin KUMAR / AFP)
The Indian Prime Minister while speaking in Madhya Pradesh on May 1, 2019, threw allegations at the Congress claiming that the party wanted him killed. “Sochiye, Congress walon ko aapke Modi se itni nafrat ho gayi hai ki woh Modi ko maarne tak ke sapne dekhne lage hain (Think, Congress has so much hatred for me that it even dreams of killing your Modi)”. Even though the former Gujarat CM did use the words purely for rhetoric, it was still in violation of the Moral Code of Conduct. The Prime Minister, however, received a clean chit from the Election Commission.
- Rahul Gandhi
The Congress chief in an effort to nullify the ‘Main bhi Chowkidaar’ campaign of the prime minister, claimed that ‘Chowkidaar Chor hai’. Addressing an election rally at Kolar on April 13, Mr. Gandhi alleged that Mr. Modi stole money from the pockets of shopkeepers, farmers, traders and the poor and gave it to the likes of Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Mehul Choksi, Vijay Mallya and “people who fled the country”. Referring to the Rafale issue, he said, “100% chowkidar is a chor (thief)” and alleged that the Prime Minister stole Rs 30,000 crore and gifted it to his “thief friends” such as Anil Ambani. “He (Mr. Modi) is leading a team of chors (thieves),” Mr Gandhi said.
- Yogi Adityanath
Unfazed by ban by the Election Commission, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister called a Samajwadi Party candidate “Babur ki aulad (Babur’s descendent)”, referring to the Mughal emperor.
Addressing a rally in Sambhal district, he said, “Samajwadi Party mein aise aise pratyashi bana diye jate hain… ek baar sansad mein baitha tha… sanjog se sambhal se prayashi wohi SP ke vartaman pratyashi hain… Maine unse pucha, tumhare purvaj kahan se hain, yeh sajjan bol pare hum Babur ki aulad hain… (I had once asked a member in the Parliament, who is also the present SP candidate from here (Sambhal), about his ancestors and he replied ‘I am Babur’s descendent).”
- Mallikarjun Kharge
The senior Congress leader stoked a controversy while taking a dig at PM Narendra Modi, he asked will the Prime Minister hang himself if Congress gets more number of seats than he claims. Recently, PM Narendra Modi had predicted Congress will not get even 40 Lok Sabha seats this time.
“Wherever he goes, Modi keeps saying that Congress will not win 40 seats. Do you believe that? If Congress gets more than 40 seats, will Modi hang himself at Delhi’s Vijay Chowk?” Kharge said.
- Azam Khan
Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate from Rampur, Azam Khan, and his son Adeeb Azam Khan. (PTI Photo/Kamal Kishore)
Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan seemed to have stooped pretty low when he targeted BJP leader Jaya Prada is his election rally in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh on April 14th. “I brought her (Jaya Prada) to Rampur. You are a witness that I did not allow anyone to touch her body. It took you 17 years to identify her real face but I got to know in 17 days that she wears khaki underwear,” Khan said.
- Maneka Gandhi
While addressing a gathering in Sultanpur on April 12th, Union Minister Maneka Gandhi said that she will be further inclined to give jobs to people who voted for her.
“This is important. I am winning. I am winning because of the love and support of people. But if my victory is without Muslims, I won’t feel that good. Dil khatta ho jayega (Things will become sour). Then when a Muslim comes to me for work, think let it be, how does it matter. It’s all give and take, isn’t it? We aren’t all sons of Mahatma Gandhi, are we? “
- Sakshi Maharaj
Controversial BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj stoked a row last week after he said at a public meeting in Unnao that people who do not listen to a sanyasi “get his sins”. In a purported video shared on social media, Sakshi Maharaj is heard saying at a public meeting, “Ek sanyasi aapke darwaaje par aaya hai, aur ek sanyasi jab kisi ke darwaaje par aata hai, vyakhya maangta hai, koi baat yaachna karta hai, agar uski baat nahi maani jaati hai… Toh sanyasi grihasthi ke punya le jaata hai, aur apne paap de jaata hai. Shastra mein likha hai. Shastro ki baat keh raha hun. Isliye koi daulat maangne ke liye nahi aaya hun. Zameen jaydaad maangne ke liye nahi aaya hun. Kuch aur vastu padaarth maangne ke liye nahi aaya hun. (A sanyasi has come to your door. And when a sanyasi comes to your door, asks for an explanation and makes a request. If you don’t listen to him, then the sanyasi takes the good deeds of the family and gives his sins to you. This is written in the scriptures, I am talking about the scriptures. I have not come to ask you for your money, property or anything else.)”
- Pragya Thakur
(PTI Photo)
The BJP’s Sadhvi Pragya Thakur has waded into controversy after she said that the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack martyr and Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare had died because she had “cursed” him. In the video, Thakur, who is an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, can be heard saying that she had cursed Karkare when the Indian Police Service (IPS) officer was trying to get answers from her during interrogation. Pragya Singh Thakur says: “Maine kaha tera sarvanash hoga. Theek sava mahine mein sutak lagta hain. Jis din main gayi thi theek usi din iske sutak lag gaya tha. Aur theek sava mahine mein jis din atankwadiyon ne isko maara us din uska anth hua (I had told him that he will be destroyed. Sutak (a period of abstention in Hindu tradition after a death or birth in a family) comes into force within one month and a quarter of month. It came into force the day I was arrested. And exactly one and a quarter months later he was destroyed by the terrorists).”
- Navjot Singh Sidhu
(PTI Photo/Arun Sharma)
Sidhu quoted controversy while taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during which he compared Modi to a “bride” who only pretends to work. Sidhu said, “Modi Ji uss dulhan ki tarah hain jo roti kum baelti hai aur chudiyaan zada khankati hai taaki mohalle walon ko yeh pata chale ki woh kaam kar rahi hai. Bas yahi hua hai Modi sarkaar mein (Modi ji is like the bride who makes less chapattis but makes noise with her bangles so that neighbours know she is working”.
- Ananthkumar Hegde
Union minister Anantkumar Hegde stoked controversy after he questioned Rahul Gandhi’s caste and religion and asked the Congress chief to prove how “a person born to a Muslim father and Christian mother became a Gandhi”. While referring to the Congress leader’s demands for proof of the recently-conducted Balakot airstrikes, Hegde said, “Rahul Gandhi is asking for proof of airstrikes conducted by our soldiers in Pakistan. But, I will ask, what is the proof that he is a Hindu? How did a person born to a Muslim father and Christian mother become a Gandhi? A Brahmin? Will he give DNA proof?”