A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillor from Patparganj, Renu Chaudhary, has stirred controversy after a video surfaced in which she threatens a foreign football coach in east Delhi’s Mayur Vihar to learn Hindi within a month or stop using a municipal park to train children.
In the video, uploaded to her social media on Saturday, Chaudhary is seen confronting a man she describes as an “African” football coach who has been coaching children at a Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) park for years. She is heard questioning why he has not learned Hindi and warning that the park would be taken away if he does not learn the language within a month.
“If you are earning from this place, you should also learn to speak Hindi,” Chaudhary is heard saying in the clip. She also raises concerns about the park’s timings, alleging it remains open until late and cautioning that it should close by 8pm.
HT was unable to locate the football coach, despite reaching out to the police, MCD and nearby residential welfare associations.
The video, meanwhile, drew sharp criticism on social media, with many accusing the councillor of xenophobia. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Somnath Bharti posted on X, calling the remarks humiliating and warning that such attitudes could harm the reputation of Indians abroad. “A leader from BJP is humiliating a person of African origin simply because he doesn’t know Hindi. There’s absolutely no concern about how this kind of arrogance will give people in foreign countries—both the millions of Indians living abroad and the native residents of those countries—a chance to mistreat them.”
{{/usCountry}}The video, meanwhile, drew sharp criticism on social media, with many accusing the councillor of xenophobia. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Somnath Bharti posted on X, calling the remarks humiliating and warning that such attitudes could harm the reputation of Indians abroad. “A leader from BJP is humiliating a person of African origin simply because he doesn’t know Hindi. There’s absolutely no concern about how this kind of arrogance will give people in foreign countries—both the millions of Indians living abroad and the native residents of those countries—a chance to mistreat them.”
{{/usCountry}}When contacted, Delhi Police said no complaint had been filed regarding the matter yet, but would investigate if one is received. MCD officials, however, declined to comment on the mater.
Defending her stance, Chaudhary said her remarks were about “regulations, language and respect,” not hate.
“In an MCD park, a man of African origin has been training children in football from the last 10-12 years but even after so many years he is not making any attempt to learn Hindi. This is not acceptable. When we go to some other country, we respect their rules and language.”
She also reiterated complaints about the park’s maintenance and late hours, stating she had issued a similar warning eight months earlier.
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