Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal took a dig at Narendra Modi
Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal today backtracked on his comment that "a person who used to sell tea cannot have national perspective", which was seen as a dig at BJP's prime ministerial candidate
Narendra Modi.
Mr Agarwal said his comments at a rally in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, had been "twisted by the media".
The Samajwadi Party raised eyebrows when he said yesterday, "Narendra Modi wants to become a PM. Someone rising from a tea shop can never have a national perspective. Like, if you make a 'sipahi' (constable) as 'kaptan' (Superintendent of Police) he can never have SP's approach but will have that of a constable."
The BJP said the comment smacked of insecurity.
"The secular syndicate is suffering from a dengue of depression. That is why they are making such baseless comments," said BJP spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, targeting both the Samajwadi Party of Mulayam Singh Yadav and the Congress.
The Samajwadi Party leader had also said the prime minister of a country has to be an able person of national stature.
"As far as crowd is concerned, a 'madari' (street performer) also gathers it," he had said taking a swipe at the BJP.
The Congress, which counts on Mulayam Singh's MPs for support in Parliament, tried to downplay the comments.
"His statement has been taken in a wrong way," said union minister Sri Prakash Jaiswal. "It is his own statement. It is nothing to do with tea...anyone can become PM. But to become the Prime Minister, you need to be loved by people of every religion."
At his rallies, Mr Modi often refers to his own socio-economic background and humble origins while targeting the Gandhi-Nehru family.
"I was born in a poor family, and have seen and lived in poverty. I have sold tea at the railway station and in running trains... those selling tea in trains know more about railways than the minister," the Gujarat Chief Minister said at a recent rally in Patna.