Wish they had not said that: Top 10 controversial statements made by Indian politicians in 2017

 Sharad Yadav’s ‘beti ki izzat’ remark

Former JD (U) leader Sharad Yadav

Former Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav, while addressing a gathering of party workers in Bihar in January, said the honour of vote comes above the honour of daughter.

“Wo thik hone mein ye jo ballot paper hai, yaad rakho iske baare mein sab jagah bade paimane pe batane or samjhane ki jarurat hai. Ye beti ki izzat se bhi vote ki izzat badhi hai. Beti ki izzat jaegi, toh gaon or mohalle ki izzat jaegi. Aur vote ek bar bik gaya, or ek baar gadbad hogaya toh ilake ki, desh ki aabaroo or aane wala sapna kabhi poora nahi hoga,” Yadav said.

The then JD (U) leader had to face a lot of backlash for his remarks. However, his party defended him saying he was quoted out of context. “What Sharadji meant was that the decision to vote for a particular party should be taken judiciously. He said that marrying off a daughter to the wrong person may bring a bad name to a village, but voting for a wrong candidate or party can have a devastating effect on the country”. Tyagi apologised on behalf of the party. “If it has hurt women or some women’s groups, we are sorry,” JD(U) spokesperson K C Tyagi had said.

Sakshi Maharaj’s ‘4 wives, 40 children’ remark

MP Sakshi Maharaj (Express File Photo)

Controversial BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj in January said population rise was due to a certain community and it allowing four wives and 40 children.

Speaking at a religious event in Meerut, the BJP MP had said, “Desh mein samasyaein khadi ho rahi hain jansankhya ke karan. Uske liye Hindu zimmedar nahin hain. Zimmedar toh wo hain jo chaar biwiyon aur chalees bachchon ki baatein karte hain. (There are problems in the country because of population growth. Hindus are not responsible for that. Those responsible are the ones who talk of four wives and 40 children.)”

With the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls round the corner, the Election Commission had issued a notice to him.

Vinay Katiyar’s ‘prettier than Priyanka Gandhi’ remark

BJP’s senior leader Vinay Katiyar

BJP MP Vinay Katiyar had courted a controversy in January when he said that there are “prettier star campaigners” than Priyanka Gandhi. “Unse jyada bohut si sundar mahilayen hai jo star campaigner hain (There are several prettier ladies than Priyanka Gandhi who are star campaigners),” he had said.

When SP’s Maviya Ali said ‘religion is before country’

Samajwadi Party leader Maviya ali

Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Maviya Ali had courted a controversy when he said that religious identity comes before national identity. Ali’s remark came at a time when the Uttar Pradesh government had instructed the madrassas to hoist the national flag, sing the national anthem and pay tributes to freedom fighters on the occasion of Independence Day.

“Pehle musalman hain phir Hindustani, duniya mein kahin bhi musalman ho pehle musalman hai phir kisi desh ka naagrik (We are first Muslims then Indians. Everywhere in the world, a Muslim is first a Muslim and then the citizen of the nation),” Ali had said.

Sandeep Dikshit used ‘sadak ka gunda’ for Army chief

Sandeep Dikshit

Former Lok Sabha MP and Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit had in July said that Army Chief General Bipin Rawat was making public statements like a “sadak ka gunda”.

When asked about the Pakistan Army chief’s tour of the LoC area and his statement that Pakistan will give a befitting reply to India’s actions, Dikshit had told ANI news agency: “Let them do that. Our Army is strong and ably guards our country. Whenever Pakistan has done something, our Army has given a reply… It’s another matter that the Prime Minister of the day and some people want to shout about this.”

He then added: “Kharab tab lagta hai ke jab hamarey bhi sthal sena adhyaksh, ek sadak ke, matlab gundey ki tarah apne bayaan detey hain. (I feel bad when our Army chief makes speeches like a street thug)…What’s there in their (Pakistan) Army. Some mafia-type people. But why does our Army chief also speak in this way. See, we have culture, dignity, depth and strength. We are seen as an example in the world. If we also behave in this way, that makes us small.”

Dikshit later issued an apology and withdrew his statement.

Taj Mahal was built by traitors: Sangeet Som

BJP MLA Sangeet Som

BJP MLA Sangeet Som had in October said that the Taj Mahal, which is one of the seven wonders of the world, was built by ‘traitors’ and cannot be included in Indian history.

“Many people were pained to see that the Taj Mahal was removed from the list of [tourist destinations]. What type of history? Is this history that the person who built the Taj Mahal imprisoned his father? Do you call it a history when the one who built the Taj targeted many Hindus in Uttar Pradesh and Hindustan?” Som had said.

Som had distorted facts saying Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, imprisoned his father. In fact, Shah Jahan was the one who was imprisoned till the end of his days by his son Aurangzeb.

Azam Khan: ‘Raze monuments reeking of pre-independence rulers’

Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan

Retaliating to Sangeet Som’s Taj Mahal remark, Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan said the Parliament House and Rashtrapati Bhavan should also be demolished as they were also, in a sense, “symbols of slavery”.

“I won’t respond to him (Som). But I have always been saying that all symbols of slavery in India should be demolished. It is true that Mughals conquered India. But I won’t get into how they came and who brought them to India because it will create a bitter debate. Some people will mind my opinion about that because they don’t like the truth,” Khan said, speaking to a TV channel.

Mani Shankar Aiyar’s ‘neech’ remark

Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar

Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar courted a fresh controversy, and according to many, made the party lose the Gujarat assembly polls when he described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “Neech kism ka aadmi” (a lowly person)

Aiyar had attacked the prime minister for saying that the Congress tried to erase the contribution of BR Ambedkar in nation-building. Aiyar said the comments by the PM showed his low-level mindset and one bereft of any manners. “Mujhko lagta hai ki ye aadmi bahut neech kisam ka aadmi hai, isme koi sabhyata nahi hai. Aise mauke par is kisam ki gandi rajniti karne ki kya avashyakta hai? (This shows the low-level mindset of the PM and one bereft of any manners. What is the need of doing such dirty politics on such an occasion).”

Anant Kumar Hegde’s ‘Constitution change’ remark

Union Minister Anant Kumar Hedge

Union Minister of State Anant Kumar Hegde said in December that the BJP had come to power to “change the Constitution” and would do so in the “near future”.

Addressing an event organised by the Brahman Yuva Parishad in Koppal district of Karnataka, Hegde also heaped scorn on “secularists”, saying they were like “people without parentage”. “There is a new culture now of secularists. If someone says I am a Muslim, or I am a Christian, or I am a Lingayat, or I am a Hindu, I feel very happy because he knows his roots. But these people who call themselves secularists, I don’t know what to call them,” said Hegde.

“They are like people without parentage or who don’t know their bloodline. They don’t know themselves. They don’t know their parents, but they call themselves secular. If someone says I am secular, I get suspicious. I hope there are no secularists here,” he said. “A few people say the Constitution mentions the word secular, so you have to agree. Because it’s there in the Constitution, we will respect it, but this will change in the near future. The Constitution has changed many times before. We are here and have come to change the Constitution. We will change it,” said Hegde.

Rahul Gandhi compares Congress symbol with Guru Nanak’s hand

Congress president Rahul Gandhi

Congress president Rahul Gandhi had in January drawn flak of Shiromani Akali Dal for saying he saw the Congress party’s symbol ‘hand’ in the hand of Guru Nanak.

Speaking at a Congress convention at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi, Gandhi said his party’s symbol (hand) is omnipresent in every religion and it signifies that people of any religion should not fear the government as Congress is with them. “I found Congress symbol in Shiv ji, Gurunanak, Buddha, Mahavir’s pictures. I asked Karan Singh ji what does it mean? He said ‘daro mat’ sachhayi ka saamna karo’,” said Gandhi adding, “Congress philosophy says ‘daro mat’, and the other philosophy says ‘daro aur darao’”.