New Delhi: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Madhya Pradesh Janardan Mishra has once again stroked a controversy after he said that slapping a district collector or a commissioner establishes a person as a political leader for a year or two.
Known for his moot statements, Mishra said this while addressing a gathering of BJP workers in his constituency Rewa lately. During his speech, the BJP MP was advising BJP leaders and workers on ways to come into prominence as a politician.
"Slapping district collector or commissioner will establish one as a political leader at least for the next one or two years," news agency IANS quoted Mishra as saying on Wednesday.
"During my era, people used to slap district collectors or commissioners to get noticed as politicians. We were aware that slapping senior officials will establish us as political leaders at least for the next one or two years and would not miss any opportunity to do so," he further explained.
Interestingly, Mishra made the controversial remarks in the presence of several prominent BJP leaders of the state including MP Assembly Speaker Girish Gautam, Rajya Sabha MP Ajay Pratap Singh, former state cabinet minister Rajendra Shukla and several other BJP MLAs.
This is not the first time that the BJP leader has made such a tendentious statement. Back in 2021, Mishra made headlines when a video of his speech went viral on social media where he can be heard saying that people should come to him only when someone is accused of corruption for an amount exceeding Rs 15 lakh.
"When people accuse a Sarpanch (village head) of corruption, I jokingly tell them that if corruption is up to Rs 15 lakh don’t come to me. Come only if it’s (corruption) beyond Rs 15 lakh," he said in the viral video also shared by news agency ANI.
The Rewa MP even invited a controversy earlier when he commented on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's beard. In November 2021, Mishra said that housing for poor under PM Awas Yojna comes from Narendra Modi's beard. He had even assured that everyone will get a house as long as PM Modi keeps his beard.
Modiji's beard has lots of houses. Every time he shakes his beard, 50 lakh houses fall from it, next he shakes his beard again and another one crore houses will come from it. All of you must watch his beard. When you stop seeing his beard, then you will stop getting your house," the BJP MP had said.