Samajwadi Party leader links names of Hindu gods with alcohol, sparks row

SP leader Naresh Agarwal kicked off fresh row in the Parliament when he compared Hindu gods with alcohol, the minister had to apologies and withdrew his comments as the BJP objected to the statement.

SP MP Naresh Agrawal started fresh row after he equated Hindu gods with alcohol in Rajya Sabha. (File)

In controversial remarks that were later expunged, Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Naresh Agrawal on Wednesday linked the names of Hindu gods with alcohol, sparking protest by the BJP in the Rajya Sabha. The ruling party members objected to the comments which Agrawal withdrew and apologised. He had initially refused to apologize to the “contractors of the Hindu religion”.

Agrawal was speaking during the debate in the House on lynchings in the name of cow and narrated an incident in 1991 when he visited a school that was turned into a jail. He said the names of some Hindu deities linked to some types of alcohol were written on the wall of the school. Pointing towards the treasury bench, Agrawal said these lines were written by “your people”.

BJP members, including ministers, demanded an apology from the SP member, shouting that they won’t let anyone “insult Hindu Gods.” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said Agrawal has hurt the sentiments of the majority population of the country. “He has hurt not a single person but the whole community,” Ananth Kumar said. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said if Agrawal had made the derogatory comments outside the House he would be liable to be prosecuted. Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien said Agrawal should not have made these remarks which “per se are derogatory” and should withdraw them. He ordered that the statement should be expunged from the records of the House.

The Samajwadi leader later said if his remarks had hurt the sentiment of anyone he was withdrawing them. But the BJP members refused to budge and continued shouting slogans. Amid the din, Kurien adjourned the House twice and urged the media not to report the expunged comments.

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