Fact-Check: Naresh Agarwal Did Not Compare Alcohol With Hindu Gods as a BJP MP

The video dates back to 2017, when Naresh Agarwal was with the Samajwadi Party.

An old video of BJP leader Naresh Agarwal has gone viral on social media.

(Source: Facebook/Altered by The Quint)

A video of former Member of Parliament (MP) Naresh Agarwal, comparing Hindu Gods and Goddesses to alcohol is being widely shared on social media.

What does he say?: In the viral video, Agarwal can be heard comparing whiskey with Lord Vishnu, rum to Lord Ram, gin to Goddess Sita, and Lord Hanuman to Indian country-made liquor (ठर्रा).

• Those sharing this video have claimed that Agarwal made these statements while being a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

An archived version of this post can be seen here.

(Source: X (formerly Twitter)/Screenshot)

Archived versions of more posts sharing this claim can be seen here and here.

But...?: The video is six years old and shows Agarwal making these statements when he was a MP with the Samajwadi Party.

How did we find out the truth?: Using 'naresh agarwal hindu gods alcohol' as keywords, we looked for more information related to the viral video.

• The first result was a report by The Hindustan Times, which was published on 19 July 2017.

• Its headline identified Agarwal as a leader from the Samajwadi Party (SP), and the report mentioned that the "controversial remarks" were later expunged.

The report was published in 2017.

(Source: The Hindustan Times/Altered by The Quint)

• Other news reports such as ones by NDTV, The Hindu, and India Today also published similar reports in July 2017, identifying him as a SP leader, adding that the House continued its discussion after Agarwal apologised.

• We also came across a video on Sansad TV's verified channel, where other MPs raised objections against Agarwal's comments and demanded that his statements be expunged.

More on Agarwal: The leader had quit the Samajwadi Party in March 2018, and joined the BJP, after losing out on a Rajya Sabha ticket to Jaya Bachchan, The Quint had reported.

Agarwal joined the BJP in March 2018.

(Source: Altered by The Quint)

• Shortly after joining the party, he took a dig at Bachchan, belittling her by calling her a "film actor and dancer."

• He later apologised for his remarks after a furore from the BJP and other political parties.

Conclusion: An old video of Naresh Agarwal has gone viral with the false claim that he compared Hindu Gods to alcohol while being a BJP MP.

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