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Mamata apologises for Akhil Giri’s remarks on President Murmu
Giri, who is the state correctional administration minister, had apologised on Saturday after a 17-second video clip of him commenting on the looks of the President went viral on social media. Giri made the remarks on Friday.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday apologised for her cabinet colleague Akhil Giri’s controversial remarks against President Droupadi Murmu and cautioned him against making such comments in the future.
Giri, who is the state correctional administration minister, had apologised on Saturday after a 17-second video clip of him commenting on the looks of the President went viral on social media. Giri made the remarks on Friday.
Addressing reporters at the state secretariat, Banerjee said: “We all respect the President and she is a highly respected lady. It was not right for Giri to make comments against her. We (Trinamool Congress) have condemned it. The party has cautioned him. We don’t support his opinion and he has been warned against repeating such things. If it happens in the future, the party will take action.”
“I personally respect her (Murmu) very much. I believe beauty doesn’t depend on colour or appearance. It lies inside. She is a very sweet lady. I like her very much. Giri has done wrong. I condemn what the MLA has said. I am really sorry and I apologise on behalf of the party. My party has already apologised on the issue. I have great regards for the President,” she added.
The chief minister’s apology came amid demands from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to remove Giri from his ministerial post. On Sunday, BJP MP Locket Chatterjee filed a police complaint in Delhi and sought a statement from Banerjee on the matter.
On Monday, a BJP delegation met governor La Ganesan with an appeal that Giri be sacked.
“We requested the governor to advise the chief minister to sack Giri from the cabinet. If Giri is not removed from his post, BJP legislators will stage a protest inside the legislative assembly in the coming winter session,” leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari told reporters.
In her press conference on Monday, the chief minister also attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over Adhikari’s alleged remarks against state minister Birbaha Hansda, who belongs to the Scheduled Tribe.
On Sunday, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh tweeted a purported video of Adhikari in which he was heard saying: “They are kids. Debnath Hansada [TMC legislator] and Birbaha Hansda, who are sitting there, are children. They remain under my shoes.”
HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
Adhikari, who was scheduled to attend a rally at Lalgarh on Sunday, couldn’t reach the venue after Birbaha Hansda staged a sit-in-demonstration on the road.
“Birbaha Hansda belongs to a tribal family and is associated with cultural activities. Is it right if someone says that she is worthy of staying under the shoes or is it acceptable if someone says that a person looks like a raven?” Banerjee said.
“We don’t support if someone has done something wrong. But the way BJP is unilaterally attacking, the disgraceful language they are using and the conspiracy they are doing…,” she added.
Adhikari said he did not make any such remarks. “I didn’t say this,” he told reporters outside Raj Bhavan.
While Birbaha Hansda could not be contacted over phone, she told a local media news channel: “Adhikary cannot deny that he made those statements. The video footage clearly shows what he said. If Giri has apologised, Adhikary should also apologise. He has insulted the tribal community.”
