A verbal spat has erupted between Union Minister Babul Supriyo and a Muslim college student in which he has threatened on social media to pack off the youth to “his own country” for his post seeking to know the BJP MP’s “education level”.
The student, Mustafizur Rahman, said on Friday that he wanted nothing but an “unconditional apology” in public from the BJP leader.
The Union Minister accused Mr. Rahman of being a “serial offender” and saying that he “does not need to apologize to fools”. Mr. Supriyo also said that his comments had nothing to do with the student’s religion.
The matter came to light on December 26 when Mr. Supriyo shared a post on the social media advocating Citizenship (Amendment) Act and criticised the act of a Jadavpur University’s student, who tore up the first page of the contentious legislation at the annual convocation of the university while receiving her gold medal on December 24.
The next day Mr. Rahman commented on Mr. Supriyo’s Facebook post and questioned the educational qualifications of Mr. Supriyo and BJP State president Dilip Ghosh. “Babul-da (dada) how educated are people like you can be gauged from the fact that your mentor (State president) Dilip Ghosh spots gold in cow milk,” Mr. Rahman wrote.
To this Mr. Supriyo retorted “Mustafizur Rahman let me first pack you off to your country, then will send the reply in post card”. The comment triggered a wave of protests.
Mr. Rahman, a final year student at a Birbhum college in Birbhum district, said, “I am in possession of enough proof about my identity as an Indian and a Bengali. You don’t know how to respect Bengalis and still you are the MP of the State..... Are you drinking cow urine regularly?”
The youth has received the support from a number of netizens and organisations.
