Who Is Narottam Mishra, Why Does He Spark Controversy?

Madhya Pradesh’s Minister for Home Affairs, Narottam Mishra is in news again. Mishra fumed over the costumes of Deepika Padukone. He recently said, “Deepika Padukone is a supporter of tukde tukde gang in the song of the film #Pathan. The costumes are highly objectionable and the song has been filmed with a corrupted mindset.” 

Mishra threatened to ban the film in the state, “scenes and costumes of the song should be corrected or else the film should be allowed in Madhya Pradesh or not,” he added. In recent times, Mishra has been part of news headlines, whether it is commercials like Dabur’s Karwa Chauth ad or issues like love Jihad – he can’t stay out of the news for long.

Earlier, he found, Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s mangalsutra advertisement, objectionable, he said, “...Mangalsutra is a piece of jewelry of paramount importance. We believe that the yellow part of the mangalsutra signifies Goddess Parvati and the black part Lord Shiva, which protects the woman and her husband. Marital life becomes happy by the grace of Goddess Parvati” he said.  

He also slammed Amir Khan in October, for “hurting religious sentiments” with his Bank Advertisement.

Who is Narottam Mishra?

Narottam Mishra, a six-term member of the Madhya Pradesh legislative assembly from the Datia district, is currently Shivraj Singh Chouhan's second-most significant cabinet minister. Mishra began his political career in 1977–1978 with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Bharatiya Jana Yuva Morcha (BJYM). He was the MP government's minister under Babulal Gaur in 2005.

He first made big headlines. When in November 2008, identical reports with the headline – “toh isiliye sabse alag hain Narottam” (that’s why Narottam is unlike others)﹘were published in some local dailies. The item was deemed “paid” by the Election Commission and allegedly violated the law. As a result, the EC prohibited him from running for elections in 2017; however, the BJP leader later received relief from the High Court and ran in the 2018 elections.

Mishra played a pivotal role to topple the Kamal Nath government 2020 from power in Madhya Pradesh, which is called Operation Kamala  – it marked the important land of Narottam Mishra. Therefore, he handled an important portfolio in the state.

Often described as a friendly person, Mishra has been known for his cordial relationship with media houses too. His rise into prominence has set him to be an important leader in the eyes of the party's high command in the last few years. Now, not just in MP, he has become an important Brahmin face in national politics. Under the leadership of former BJP president and current Home Minister, Amit Shah, he was made in charge of the Kanpur Lok Sabha seat in 2019, keeping in the mind the number of Brahmin votes in the region. Thereon, he has become a key BJP leader from Madhya Pradesh.

Face of Hindutva

Mishra used to enjoy a good image with Muslims of the state. He would reach out to the Muslim community, and maintain a non-controversial image. But, in the last few years, more specifically when BJP formed government in MP in 2020 – his statements became a regular headline in national media.