New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not new to controversies. His rivals accuse him of being one of the most controversial and polarising figure in Indian politics. The controversies have followed him even after he became the Prime Minister.
The infamous monogrammed suit Narendra Modi wore when he met the US President Barack Obama in New Delhi in January 2015 led to a huge controversy and a debate. He was mocked for narcissism after wearing the wool suit with the words "Narendra Damodardas Modi" woven into it in tiny letters.
His critics attacked him for wearing a Rs 10 lakh suit. Finally, it was auctioned for over Rs 4.5 crore and the money sent to Ganga Cleaning Project.
During his visit to Canada in April 2015, Modi was accused of criticising his predecessor and former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on a foreign soil. The Congress was taken aback by Modi's comments in Germany and Canada, promising to clean up the "mess left behind" and change India's image from one of "scams" to that of a "skilled" nation. India's Prime Minister commenting on domestic politics on foreign soil was criticised by many. Some of PM Modi's Cabinet colleagues also created problems for him by making controversial remarks on some issues. His minister Giriraj Singh's comments on the Congress President Sonia Gandhi led to a huge furore in Parliament. The 'Ghar Vapsi' or reconversion of Hindus who had converted to Islam and Christianity also led to a nationwide debate in 2014.
His Human Resources Minister (HRD) Smriti Irani's decisions also created discomfort for the government. His decision to rename Planning Commission or Yojana Ayog as Niti Ayog was questioned by many.
US President Barack Obama whom Modi received and hosted with great enthusiasm also made some remarks on India's religious tolerance level leading to loud protests from Modi backers and the RSS.
According to a report in 'Hindustan Times', Modi government faced 10 controversies in just one month of its coming power. It listed out some of them.
A row errupted after minister of state in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Jitendra Singh claimed that the process to repeal Article 370 — which provides special status to Jammu and Kashmir (J-K) — had begun. The remark drew sharp reactions with J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah saying that Article 370 was the only constitutional link between the state and the rest of India.
Smriti Irani was at the centre of the controversy over her educational qualifications and a mismatch in the information provided by her in two election affidavits after taking charge as the Human Resource Development Minister.
When contesting the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, she mentioned her qualifications as Bachelor of Arts (BA) which she passed in 1996 from DU's School of Correspondence.
However, in her affidavit for this year's Lok Sabha election, the actor-turned-politician mentioned her educational qualification as "Bachelor of Commerce Part I, School of Open Learning (Correspondence), University of Delhi - 1994."
The report by IB alleged that NGOs such as Greenpeace had been "stalling development projects". Greenpeace, an international NGO which works on environment issues, rejected the allegations in the report. The IB report also stated that several Gujarat-based NGOs campaigned against the government. It reportedly said that organisations such as the Maldhari Rural Action Group, People's Union of Civil Liberties, and others had been protesting against the government.
Nihalchand Meghwal and 16 others were named in an FIR lodged by a 24-year-old married woman from Jaipur. In the FIR filed in 2011, she alleged that the accused had sexually exploited her. Nihalchand still continues to be a minister in his government.
A Union Home Ministry circular on May 27 had asked all ministries, public sector undertakings and banks to give preference to Hindi over English on their social media accounts.
Many parties criticised the NDA government for the move on Friday, even as Shiv Sena and Samajwadi Party backed the promotion of Hindi. Congress advised prudence, expressing fear that such directions may result in a backlash in non-Hindi states, especially Tamil Nadu. Finally that advisory was withdrawn.
Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptullah, said that the minorities needed a “level playing field” in society, but reservation was not the answer. “Reservation on the basis of religion is not permissible under the Constitution. Nor is it the solution. It kills the spirit of competition,” she said.
Minister of State for External Affairs and retired Army chief General VK Singh also embarrassed the Modi government by making some unsavoury comments in public. Modi's alleged liking for industrialist Adani has also led to controversies.
Another Union Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, too, kicked off a huge row when she allegedly making some communal remarks and used an expletive to describe those who opposed the BJP during an election rally in New Delhi in December 2014. Jyoti had allegedly asked voters to elect sons of Lord Ram (Ramzaade) and not "illegitimate sons" (haramzaade) at the BJP rally.
Interestingly, the PM Modi maintained a total silence over most of the controversies. He rarely reacted in the first year in office except on the comment of Jyoti when he was forced to clarify in Parliament.
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