Kolkata: The BJP in West Bengal has demanding state minister Akhil Giri be sacked over his “insulting and derogatory” comments on President Droupadi Murmu.
The Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, wrote to the Governor, seeking a meeting with him and demanded Giri’s sacking.
This comes hours after a nearly 20-second long video clip of Giri surfaced and soon shared multiple times, where the Bengal minister for Correctional Administration can be heard saying: “They (BJP) said that I am not good-looking. We don’t judge anyone by their appearance. We respect the office of the President. But how does our President look?”
Giri allegedly made the comments late Friday evening at a rally in Bengal’s Nandigram, the home turf of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.
Writing to the Bengal Governor, La Ganesan, Adhikari said the comments reflect the “anti-tribal mindset of the minister” since the President comes from the tribal community.
“The Minister-of-State (Independent Charge), Department of Correctional Administration, Akhil Giri has made insulting and derogatory comments on The President of the Republic of India, Droupadi Murmu. The President of India is the Constitutional Head and Commander-in-Chief of all the Indian Armed Forces. An insult to her is equivalent to insulting our country,” Adhikari wrote.
“The West Bengal BJP State Legislature Party seeks your appointment by tomorrow or day after tomorrow in this matter, so that we can make a demand to sack such irresponsible and uncouth person as a Minster of the State of West Bengal,” he wrote further.
Tweeting about the letter, Adhikari said: “As Hon’ble Governor Shri La. Ganesan Ji is currently out of State, Bengal BJP MLAs have sought an urgent appointment to meet him regarding the sacking of Minister Akhil Giri. He has lost moral authority to continue as minister after his derogatory remark on the Hon’ble President.”
Giri, however, has apologized for his remarks after severe backlash and outrage.