GUWAHATI: Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Tuesday apologised after his “Sardars and Haryanvi Jats are less brainy” comment had triggered a row.
“At a programme organised at the Agartala Press Club, I had only spoken about the perceptions of some people about my Punjabi and Jat brothers. My intention was never to hurt any community. I am proud of the Punjabis and the Jats. I have spent a lot of my time with them,” Deb tweeted.
“Some of my close friends are from these communities. In any case, if my comments hurt the sentiments of anybody, I apologise for it,” he further wrote on the social media platform.
His comments, made on Sunday, had drawn criticism from some quarters, including the Congress. They demanded action against the CM of the BJP-ruled state for “insulting” the two communities.
While stereotyping communities, Deb had nonchalantly termed the Khalsas and the Haryanvi Jats as “less brainy”.
“When we talk about the Punjabis, we say the Sardars are not afraid of anyone. They have a lot of strength but they are less brainy. They cannot be won with might but love,” he had said.
Continuing in the same vein, he said the Haryanvi Jats are stoutly built but they too are less brainy. He then followed it up by speaking about a trait of the Bengalis.
“Bengalis too have an identity – they are intelligent. It is widely said that none can beat the intelligence of the Bengalis,” Deb, who is a Bengali, had commented.
He has made several bizarre remarks ever since he donned the CM’s mantle in 2018. Once, he had claimed that the Internet existed in the times of the Mahabharata.
His other bizarre remarks were civil engineers, not mechanical engineers, make good administrators; ducks increase the level of oxygen in water bodies, etc.