New Delhi: After Congress overseas department head, Sam Pitroda, it was Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu who came under fire from the BJP on Saturday for his “racist and sexist remarks” against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The ruling party claimed that the Congress leaders remarks shows its mindset.
Campigining against the BJP in Indore on Friday, the actor-turned politician, Mr Sidhu had called Mr Modi a “bride who pretends to work” and also asked the voters to free the country from the rule of “kale angrez (black britishers).”
“Congress is the party of Mahatama Gandhi and Maulana Azad. This is the party that freed the country from the rule of Britishers...now free the country from the rule of black Britishers and chowkidars. Do not underestimate the power of your vote,” Mr Sidhu said at a rally in Indore.
Slamming the Congress ‘star campaigner,’ BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said while Mr Sidhu keeps making all sort of loose statements, he has not spoken a word against Mr Pitroda’s “so what if it happened” remarks on the 1984 anti-sikh riots.
Mr Pitroda’s remarks on Thursday had created a major political furore with the Congress president Rahul Gandhi himself asking him to apologise for his comment. Mr Patra also claimed that Mr Sidhu targeted the PM at Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath’s behest alleging that he was also involved in the anti-Sinkh riots.
Taking on Mr Sidhu for his “sexist remark,” the BJP leader said “Sidhu ji had earlier said that when Michelle Obama enters the kitchen of the White House to make bread, she will be surprised to note that some items are from Lucknow. He thinks even Michelle Obama is good enough just for making bread...This is new India. Here women don’t just exist to make bread at home, but carry the country forward.”
Mr Sidhu had said that Mr Modi was like a bride who makes noise from her bangles to give an impression that she was working hard.
Claimng that Mr Sidhu had exposed mindset of the Congress after he called Indians ‘black Britishers,’ Mr Patra said, “PM Modi may not be fair but has a heart of gold.” and quoted lines from a Bollywood song “Kale hain toh kya hua dilwale hain.”
Mr Patra also slammed the Time magazine for its cover calling Mr Modi as India’s ‘divider-in-chief.’ He said it was an attempt to malign the PM’s image and accused its author of pursuing Pakistan’s agenda. Calling Mr Modi a unifier, the BJP leader listed a number of welfare measures started by the Modi government to claim that the country was heading towards a new India under his “reforming, performing and transforming” agenda.
