Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Monday expressed regret in the Lok Sabha for his comment against Sonia Gandhi after the Congress created a ruckus in the House, forcing an adjournment. Soon after the House assembled, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan allowed Congress member Jyotiraditya Scindia to raise the matter. She said she was also hurt by the remarks and that such statements should not be made.
The apology came after the Opposition demanded that the Minister be sacked for insinuating that the Congress made Ms. Gandhi party chief because of “her white skin.” “It was not my intention to offend anybody. If my remarks have caused any hurt, I regret it,” Mr. Singh said before the House took up business for the day.
Mr. Singh had said: “Had Rajiv Gandhi married a Nigerian woman and if she was not white-skin-ned, would the Congress have accepted Sonia’s leadership?”
Demanding an apology from the Minister, Mr. Scindia said “Such comments are not only against the women of the country but the entire country should hang its head in shame. It is an insult to womanhood … it is also an insult to Nigerians ... The Nigerian High Commissioner has also protested,” he said.
“We not only want an apology but also resignation of the Minister. The Prime Minister should also apologise,” Mr. Scindia said.
Intervening, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said the government and the BJP did not approve of such remarks, but “there is no need to take the Prime Minister’s name.” At this, leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said the government was a collective responsibility.
This is the third occasion when a BJP MP has had to apologise in the House. Earlier, Minister of State for Food Processing Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti had to express regret for her hate speech at an election meeting in Delhi. Sakshi Maharaj, MP from Unnao, had to apologise for eulogising Nathuram Godse.
