GUWAHATI: Congress leader Sashi Tharoor has stirred up a hornet's nest with his "outlandish" and "hilarious" headgear jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Nagaland's apex social organisation Naga Hoho has demanded an apology from Tharoor for "laughing" at others' cultures.
"That is the mindset of Indian politicians. We have been experiencing such racial discriminations in Delhi and elsewhere in the mainland for long," Naga Hoho president Chuba Ozukum said.
Speaking at a seminar in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, Tharoor had said: "Why does our Prime Minister, who wears all sorts of outlandish headgears wherever he goes, refuse to wear a Muslim skullcap? You've seen him in hilarious Naga headdress, feathers, and various kinds of extraordinary outfits. Why does he refuse to wear the green?"
Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, who hails from Arunachal Pradesh, too demanded an apology from Tharoor. "I demand an apology from the Congress party for insulting the people of India's Northeast and tribals. Sashi Tharoor described Northeast people and Naga tribal headgears as funny looking, outlandish and hilarious," Rijiju tweeted.