NEW DELHI: An FIR has been registered against Samajwadi Party MP Ajendra Singh Lodhi at Kotwali Nagar police station in Uttar Pradesh’s Mahoba district on Tuesday, over derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.According to news agency PTI, the case was filed on the complaint of BJP leader Satyendra Pratap Gupta following controversial comments made by the MP during a protest in Mahoba.Lodhi had participated in a demonstration led by Samajwadi Party leaders to submit a memorandum to the governor over issues including power cuts, installation of smart metres and rising inflation.
Video of remarks sparks political row
A purported video of the incident, which surfaced on social media, showed Lodhi using objectionable language against the prime minister while responding to questions about PM Modi’s recent appeal urging people to reduce fuel consumption and limit purchases of gold and other imports.As per PTI, the Hamirpur-Mahoba MP used an expletive against PM Modi and called him a “desh-virodhi (anti-national)” prime minister. He also questioned the prime minister’s foreign visits and said the country had never seen such a leader before.During the interaction with reporters after submitting the memorandum, Lodhi warned that the government would have to “face consequences” if the protesters’ demands were not met.
BJP leaders condemn comments
The remarks triggered strong reactions from BJP leaders, including Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who termed the comments an “insult” to democratic values.“The unparliamentary remark made by an MP against Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not only objectionable and unforgivable, but also a serious blow to democratic decorum,” Adityanath said in a post on X.He added that Lodhi’s conduct reflected “bad political culture, ideological bankruptcy and disrespect towards the dignity of public life”.The chief minister further said the remarks insulted the mandate and trust of 145 crore Indians and the democratic dignity of the country.
BJP seeks action from Akhilesh Yadav
Union minister and Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Pankaj Chaudhary also criticised the Samajwadi Party MP and demanded action against him.“The kind of filthy and indecent language used by Ajendra Singh Lodhi against Prime Minister Narendra Modi is highly condemnable and proves that the SP is a party of goons and people using abusive language,” Chaudhary said, as quoted by PTI.He urged SP chief Akhilesh Yadav to expel Lodhi from the party and said silence from the leadership would be seen as tacit approval of the remarks.Several BJP leaders, including spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla and MLA Shalabh Mani Tripathi, also shared the video online and accused the Samajwadi Party of encouraging abusive political language.During the same interaction with reporters, Lodhi also said the Samajwadi Party would oppose the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and claimed that other INDIA bloc parties would push for elections through ballot papers.