PATNA/ NEW DELHI:Yet another disparaging comment loaded with racial innuendo from BJP Bihar leader and Minister of State Giriraj Singh snowballed into a major controversy with the Congress demanding his resignation, plus an apology from the Prime Minister. Nigerian High Commissioner O B Okongor reacted sharply to the “unfortunate’’ development.
Talking to the media in Hajipur, some 20 km from Patna, Giriraj Singh quipped, “If Rajiv Gandhi had married some Nigerian lady, if she (Sonia Gandhi) wasn’t white, would the Congress party have given her its leadership?’’ He was also seen laughing at his own joke as TV channels flashed the footage.
With the racial innuendo, he again crossed the civil limits and had to tender a quick apology — in case he has “hurt the sentiments of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi”. In the same media interaction, he had made some remarks about Rahul’s absence since the beginning of the Budget session of Parliament. The “whole budget session is over”, he said, “But where is Rahulji? This is like the disappearance of the Malaysian airliner which has still not been found.”
However, it is not so much his dig at Rahul that stirred up the controversy, but the sexist, racial comments he made against the Congress president and in the process displaying deep bias against an African nation and its women.
The remark was offensive enough for the Nigerian Envoy Okongor to say that the “Minister is at the highest levels of government, it is unfortunate.” Another former Congress minister, RPN Singh, said it “only displays his (Giriraj Singh’s) mindset” and “it is to maintain the country’s image abroad, and to uphold our past legacy that the Prime Minister should speak out against such errant ministers. His sacking is the least that the PM can do to counter the damage.’’