E-Paper
BJP hits out at Cong leader for Droupadi Murmu tweet; 'Feel like crying when,' Udit Raj defends
Congress leader Udit Raj attacked President Droupadi Murmu and made some derogatory comments about her. The Congress leader said those were his personal comments and not of the party.
Former MP and Congress leader Udit Raj has landed in a soup for his 'no country should get such a President' tweet on President Droupadi Murmu. The BJP has come down heavily on the Congress leader and asked whether the party endorses this insult. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla tweeted, "Udit Raj uses unacceptable language for the 1st woman Adivasi President! Does the Congress endorse this insult of Adivasi samaj?" National Commission for Women chairperson Rekha Sharma condemned the comments and sought an apology from Udit Raj.
Udit Raj is the third Congress leader to have found themselves in trouble for commenting on President Droupadi Murmu -- the other two being Ajoy Kumar and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
"After Ajoy Kumar called President Draupadi Murmu as evil & then Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary used the term 'Rashtrapatni' now Congress stoops to a new low!" the BJP spokesperson tweeted.
The Congress leader attacked the President over her statement on salt that she gave on Monday during her Gujarat visit. The President said Gujarat produced 76% of the country's salt and that the salt produced in the state is consumed by all Indians.
"No country should get a president like that," the Congress leader tweeted. As the tweet created a furore, Udit Raj said those were his personal comments and not to be taken as the party's stand. "Her candidature & campaign were in the name adivasi, it doesn’t mean she is no longer adivasi. My heart cries that when SC/ST reach to higher position, they ditch their communities & become mum," he said.
Shehzad Poonawalla said neither Udit Raj nor the Congress can wash the hands off this by issuing a statement. "By merely tweeting this is a personal statement won’t do! Congress must tell us if they will ACT ON UDIT RAJ or not for his Adivasi Virodhi statement. This is the third strike after Ajoy Kumar & Adhir Ranjan statements on Murmu ji! This is not a Sanyog ! It is INC mindset," Poonawalla wrote.
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said the words used for President Murmu are worrisome and unfortunate. “This isn't the 1st time they've used such words. Congress' Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury did it too. This reflects their anti-tribal mindset,” Patra said.
Before the presidential election, when Droupadi Murmu was NDA's candidate for the post, Congress leader Ajoy Kumar said that she represented the "evil philosophy of India". The Congress leader also clarified that he respects Droupadu Murmu and that his comments were not for the individual.
Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury then drew flak for calling the President 'Rashtrapatni' for which he later apologised and said it was a slip-up.
