Lok Sabha elections 2024: From ‘mujra’ to ‘types of soldiers’, 5 remarks that sparked controversy

With the seven-phase Lok Sabha election 2024 season about to conclude with the final round of polling being held on June 1, top political leaders remained in the news for their controversial comments during public rallies. So much so that both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress approached the Elections Commission of India seeking against Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, respectively.

From Narendra Modi to Rahul Gandhi, let's dive deep into five most controversial statements made by some top political leaders this election.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ‘mujra', 'infiltration’ remarks

PM Narendra Modi on May 25 launched a scathing attack on the Opposition, saying the INDIA bloc can perform "mujra" (traditional form of dance that originated in the Mughal era in the Indian subcontinent) before their vote bank if they want.

"Bihar is the land which has given a new direction to the fight for social justice. I wish to declare on its soil that I will foil the plans of the INDIA bloc to rob SCs, STs and OBCs of their rights and divert these to Muslims. They may remain enslaved and perform ‘mujra’ to please their vote bank,” Modi said while addressing back-to-back rallies in Karakat and Patliputra Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar.

Earlier, a massive controversy erupted over Modi's “infiltrators” remark where he had said the Congress government would distribute the country's assets to “infiltrators”.

“The Congress manifesto says they will calculate the gold with mothers and sisters, and then distribute that property. Earlier, when their (Congress) government was in power, they had said that Muslims have the first right on the country's assets. This means to whom will this property be distributed? It will be distributed among those who have more children…It will be distributed to the infiltrators," Modi said during an election rally recently.

Rahul Gandhi's ‘two types of soldiers’ comment

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has also found himself in a controversy after he attacked the Centre saying PM Modi has created “two types of soldiers” in the country.

“…One is the son of a poor, Dalit, minorities and the other is from a rich family. He has given a new name to the son of the poor, Agniveer, who won't be getting any facilities like pension, canteen...but, if you are a senior officer or one amongst the four, you'll get all those things. In the military, they have created 'two-India', two types of 'shaheed,” he said.

This did not sit well with the ruling party. On May 15, the BJP lodged a complaint with the Election Commission, alleging that the Congress leader violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and disrespected the Indian Army.

Sam Pitroda

Sam Pitroda, former chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, is no stranger to controversies. This election season, he made two back-to-back headlines with his “inheritance tax” and “racist” remarks.

Last month, Sam Pitroda stoked a controversy while speaking about the concept of inheritance tax prevailing in America, saying that these are issues that need to be discussed. “In America, there is an inheritance tax. If one has 100 million USD worth of wealth and when he dies he can only transfer 45 per cent to his children, 55 per cent is grabbed by the government. That's an interesting law. It says you, in your generation, made wealth, and you are leaving now; you must leave your wealth for the public, not all of it, half of it, which to me sounds fair,” he said.

Earlier this month, he stoked another controversy while speaking on the diversity of India, referring to how people in the South “look like Africans and those in the East look like Chinese and those in the East look like Arab”.

“We could hold the country as diverse as India together. Where people in the east look like the Chinese, people in the west look like the Arabs, people in the north look like, maybe, white and people in the south look like Africans. It does not matter. All of us are brothers and sisters. We respect different languages, different religions, different customs, different food,” Pitroda said in an interview that went viral on social media.

Sambit Patra's Lord Jagannath remark

Recently, a political row erupted in Odisha after Sambit Patra, the BJP candidate for the Puri Lok Sabha constituency, referred to Lord Jagannath as a “bhakt”, or devotee of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The controversial remark was made when Sambit Patra was giving statements at the end of Modi’s roadshow in the temple town of Puri.

“Lakhs of people have gathered here to see PM Modi. Jagannath is Modi’s bhakt and we are all PM Modi’s family. I cannot control my emotions and I think today is a momentous day for all Odias,” he said.

Navneet Rana warns Akbaruddin Owaisi

On May 9, BJP leader Navneet Rana sparked controversy while referring to a provocative statement by All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Akbaruddin Owaisi from 2013 where he had purportedly warned “100 crore Hindus” that his community would show what it could do if the police were withdrawn for "15 minutes".

“The younger brother says 'remove the police for 15 minutes so that we can show them what we can do'. I want to tell the younger brother (Akbaruddin) that it might take you 15 minutes, but it will only take us 15 seconds...it will take us all of 15 seconds if we come to the forefront,” she said.