Who is Narottam Mishra teaching Hindutva lesson to Bollywood?

Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra had expressed objections to the song "Besharam Rang" in the film. Stating that the song's "costumes" are "objectionable", Mishra said that the song "reflects a dirty mentality".

The Home Secretary's statement came two days after the makers released the song, which features the film's female lead Deepika Padukone and Shah Rukh Khan from the film. He said: “Deepika Padukone supports the tukde tukde gang in the song from the movie #Pathan. The costumes are highly objectionable, and the song has been filmed with a corrupt mindset.”

Who is Narottam Mishra

Born in 1960, Narottam Mishra, a six-term member of the Madhya Pradesh legislature from Datia district, is currently the second-highest minister in Shivraj Singh Chouhan's cabinet. Mishra, 57, has an MA in Hindi from Gwalior Jiwaji University and also has a PhD in Hindi literature from Jiwaji University, Gwalior in 1998.

Mishra started his political career in 1977-1978 with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Bharatiya Jana Yuva Morcha (BJYM). He was a minister in the MP government under Babulal Gaur in 2005.

He was first elected to the 9th Vidhan Sabha in 1990 and was re-elected in 1998 and 2003 from the Dabra Assembly Constituency of Gwalior District, and in 2008, 2013 and 2018 from the Datia Assembly Constituency.

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

He first made headlines in 2008 when he first took notice of the people, especially those outside his home state, when he reported with the same headline: 'toh is liyae sabse alag han Narottam (This is why Narottam is different from the others) were published in various newspapers.

Later, the Electoral Commission discovered that it was a paid article and that he had given incorrect information about his electoral expenses. The EC barred Mishra from running in the state assembly elections that year, but he was suspended by the MP High Court and the party never took action against him.

In 2017, he was disqualified by the Election Commission for presenting incorrect electoral spending accounts in the 2008 Assembly polls and for using paid news in his election campaign and for failing to provide proper electoral spending accounts.

In 2018, Mishra moved to the Supreme Court seeking relief. Seeing his judgment, the Delhi High Court quashed the Election Commission's order, while noting that "in the facts and circumstances of the case, there was no evidence of any kind that could reasonably be accepted by a court established by the law. The matter is still pending in the Supreme Court.

Face of Hindutva

Mishra used to enjoy a good image among Muslims in the state, Between 2008 to 2018 Mishra used to welcome Muslims returning from the Hajj, but in recent years his remarks have become a regular headline in the media. The minister has been in the headlines for his threats and ostensibly radical positions. When a bangle seller was beaten in Indore by Hindutva teams, he sent him to jail and insinuated that he deserved it because he was "falsifying" his identity.

After a controversy surrounding a mangalsutra ad from fashion house Sabyasachi, he issued a warning and said he would choose "direct action" next time. The ad was quickly withdrawn. Mishra took a similar position when Dabur posted a controversial same-sex ad on karva chauth. He recently ordered Urdu words removed from police documents, calling them “outdated”.

In August this year, Home Minister of Narottam Mishra, Madhya Pradesh, who called the Bollywood personality a "flop actor". At his press conference, Mishra also shared the footage on Twitter, stating that "Arjun Kapoor should focus on acting instead of threatening people."

"Actors and supporters of the Thukde Thukde gang who target Hinduism in their films should not try to intimidate the public," he added.

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