New Delhi: Politicians making sexist and racist comments is not a new affair. Be it to the media or in the Parliament, commenting on women is hogging limelight now-a-days.
Known for making controversial and bizarre statements, Union Minister Giriraj Singh repeated his evil deeds when he commented that the colour of Sonia Gandhi’s skin made her the Congress President.
“If Rajiv Gandhi had married a Nigerian and if she wasn’t white skin, would Congress accept her as a leader” said Singh, BJP Lok Sabha MP from Bihar’s Nawada constituency.
The minister said he was only chatting informally, off the camera, after a press conference and is a poor excuse that failed to stop the tide of revulsion over his comments.
The comment received flak from the Congress party who immediately demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Strongly condemn sexist and racist remarks made by Minister Giriraj Singh referring to Sonia Gandhi. Does the Prime Minister support him?” said a disapproving Ratanjit Pratap Narain Singh.
Another rival of BJP, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPIM), too castigated Giriraj Singh for his racist comments.
“He is a serial offender. The PM has a duty to publicly correct this situation. What is the PM’s Mann ki Baat on this? His silence reflects encouragement,” said CPIM leader Brinda Karat.
The minister also took a swipe on Rahul Gandhi’s absence from Parliament and compared him with the missing Malaysian Airlines flight.
“The whole budget session has passed but Rahul ji is nowhere. He is like that missing Malaysian flight that no one knows.â€
Singh stoked controversy during the Lok Sabha election campaign when he said, “Those who opposed Narendra (Modi) should go to Pakistan†while addressing a rally in Jharkhand’s Deoghar district on April 19, 2014.
Three FIRs were lodged against him at Deogarh, Bokaro and Patna for his hate speeches.
Giriraj Singh’s latest remark came soon after Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Tuesday allegedly advised the agitating nurses that they should not stage hunger strike in the sun because it will make them ‘dark’ and ‘ruin their marital prospects’.
“When we met the Chief Minister over our demands at Ponda today, he said the girls should not sit on hunger strike in hot sun as their complexion will become dark and they will not find a good bridegroom,” Anusha Sawant, one of the nurses said.
“The comment was unwarranted. We expect the CM to meet our demands if he is really worried about us,” she said.
However, Parsekar was not available for his reaction.
Last month, Sharad Yadav made a sexist comment on South Indian women in the Rajya Sabha, leaving male members of parliament in splits and women parliamentarians fuming.
During a debate on the government’s Insurance Bill, the JD(U) president started rambling about the Indian obsession with fair skin.
“Your god is dark like Ravi Shankar Prasad (present in the House), but your matrimonial ads insist on white-skinned brides,” he said.
He then went on to discuss the complexion of south Indian women and said, “The women of the south are dark but they are as beautiful as their bodies…We don’t see it here. They know dance.”