Anyone who provokes controversy and extreme feelings either ‘for’ them or ‘against’ them is controversial. Whether you agree with her politics or not, Thatcher was certainly a polarising figure. Read up on the Miner’s strike of 1984-85 and the Poll Tax Riots of 1990. She was undeniably controversial...
The Left would say that Ronald Reagan was “controversial” as well.
Yet no one dares call Obama “controversial” and if the subject does come up, we are told it’s because of his skin color and not his antiAmerican upbringing that he boasted of in his books when he says he specifically sought out Marxist professors et al to bitch about this country.
Winston Churchhill was a “controversial” figure too. The leftist BBC banned him for saying “rotten” things about Nazi Germany. Things that later were proved to be accurate and deserved.
Just because some people “oppose” someone does not validate their position. There were racists against MLK. I wouldn’t tarnish his legacy by branding him “controversial”.
And just because something is “championed” does not make it “good”. Deep Throat was “controversial” too (and they are making a docudrama about it now) because it was a legal barrier breaking porn film.
Malcom X was “controversial” because even his admirers would have difficulty defending some of his remarks.
“Controversial” term is used by the MSM to imply that person had employed questionable methods or had views out of mainstream (as they understand it). Therefore, Obama, for example, can never be called controversial.