'Tea stall vendor' Modi can never be PM: Naresh Agarwal

Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Naresh Agarwal on Wednesday described the BJP's prime ministerial candidate as divisive, and controversially remarked that a "tea stall vendor" can never become the nation's prime minister.

"A tea vendor's point of view can never be that of a national stature. Narendra Modi says he used to sell tea, now he says he wants to be the Prime Minister," he said in Hardoi.

"If a constable is given an Superintendent of Police's (SP's) job, his perspective will not change. It will remain that of a constable," he added.

Reacting to the comment made by Agarwal, Union Water Resources Minister Harish Rawat said in Bhopal: "A tea seller can become prime minister, but whether Modi has that national views, even I have doubts on this."

He also said that Modi follows a divisive ideology, and added that someone who cannot take people along together can never become the nation's prime minister.

"This is a democratic country. And whoever gets the support of the people, will become the Prime Minister. But Narendra Modi has a divisive ideology. One, who cannot take everyone together, can never keep India united. So a person like that cannot become the Prime Minister of India,' he said.