New Hindutva Voice in MP BJP: What Explains Shift in Narottam Mishra's Politics?

Once touted as the troubleshooter in Madhya Pradesh's Shivraj Singh Chauhan administration, and known for his restrained and calculated statements, Home Minister Narottam Mishra has recently been the subject of headlines for making admonitory statements.

(Photo: Kamran Akhter/The Quint)

Once touted as the troubleshooter in Madhya Pradesh's Shivraj Singh Chauhan administration, and known for his restrained and calculated approach, Home Minister Narottam Mishra has recently been the subject of headlines for making controversial statements.

Last week, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister issued a 24-hour ultimatum to designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee over an 'objectionable' advertisement. Before that, Mishra had issued a warning to Dabur India for its Karva Chauth ad showing a homosexual couple.

Mishra's latest remarks have even sparked resistance from the officials in his own department.

To understand the shift in Narottam Mishra's style of politics, The Quint spoke to experts who've followed Madhya Pradesh politics, and approached sources in the BJP and the Congress.

Here are some other cases highlighting Mishra's recent change in direction:

• After an incident in Indore where a bangle seller was assaulted, Mishra alleged that one of the men protesting the attack had links with Pakistan. The DGP of his department had rejected his statement.

• During the shooting of web series 'Ashram 3' in Bhopal, Bajrang Dal workers assaulted director Prakash Jha and smeared ink on Jha. Addressing the assault, Mishra alleged that the series targeted Hinduism and supported the stance of Bajrang Dal members.

Saying What The Top Leadership Commands

According to senior journalist Arun Dixit, Mishra knows what the BJP leadership wants.

"The sentiment that a Home Minster stands equally for everyone is fading away. When government officials use such language it becomes dangerous. Narottam Mishra is doing what the Bharatiya Janata Party is doing under a well thought out strategy."

Arun Dixit to The Quint

Noting that the BJP Chief Secretary of West Bengal Kailash Vijayvargiya also stoked controversy with his statements, Dixit asserted that Vijayvargiya has not made any such remarks in the recent past.

While Mishra's Home Ministerial appointment means that he has considered responsible and decent, Dixit told The Quint that the leader's change in expression has comes after he took charge as a state spokesperson.

Positioning as the Brand Ambassador of Hindutva

Senior journalist Manish Dixit stated that all people leading the BJP nowadays have started considering themselves as the brand ambassadors of Hindutva.

Saying that all statement are coming with a "24 hours warning", Dixit said that these incidents are an "exercise in portraying oneself as a big face of Hindutva'.

"If the Centre objected to the advertisements, it would have been understandable, however a state home minister's objections mean that this is just a way to grab limelight", Dixit told The Quint.

Meanwhile, journalist Lajja Shankar Hardeniya believes that Mishra's behaviour may be an attempt to prove himself as "CM material".

'In Competition with Other Bigoted BJP Leaders': Congress

According to Congress spokesperson Narendra Saluja, Mishra is under the influence of and competing with Rameshwar Sharma and Vishwas Sarang.

"All three are in competition with each other for the sake of fame, to be in the newspaper," he said.

Saluja added further that Mishra has understood that the RSS will need to increase its numbers for its politics to work, which is why he has adopted the bigoted behaviour of Sarang and Sharma.

'Congress Appeased a Particular Class With its Politics': BJP

Speaking to The Quint, Madhya Pradesh BJP spokesperson Durgesh Keswani claimed that the Congress favoured a particular class with its politics, disregarding the 'majority society'.

"If the religious sentiments of the majority are hurt in an ad, then should the person representing speak or not?," Keswani questioned.

Further, those who have been keeping an eye on the the politics of MP believe that Shivraj's silence on Narottam's verbal attacks indicates that everyone in the party agrees with his politics.

Additionally, the top BJP leadership's praise of Yogi's politics UP may also serve as a motivation for the Madhya Pradesh BJP.