By Express News Service
KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday apologized on behalf of the prisons minister Akhil Giri’s controversial remark over the President’s look.
“Akhil should not have made such a comment. I condemn the utterances of my MLA. I personally have great regard for the President. We have cautioned him… I apologise on behalf of my party. My party already has apologised. I have great regards for the President,” said Banerjee.
“We have cautioned Akhil. In future, if anyone of our party makes comment on a woman’s skin complexion, our party will take stern action against him,’’ said Mamata at Nabanna, the state secretariat.
Mamata’s apology came a day before her visit to Belpahari in Jhargram, a tribal-dominated region where the BJP made deep inroads in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
West Bengal Minister Akhil Giri on Saturday drew widespread criticism for making controversial remarks on President Droupadi Murmu. After the video clip of his comments went viral, Giri apologised for making such a remark.
The West Bengal Chief Minister also said if someone commits a mistake, he or she needs to rectify that.
“When we walk on the road, don’t we trip and fall? We need to rectify that,’’ she said while addressing the children on the occasion of Children’s Day at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata.
Sources in the Trinamool Congress and political observers in the state found the Chief Minister actually referred to minister Akhil Giri’s remark on the President which drew condemnation from all political parties.
On November 11, Giri was caught on camera commenting on the President’s look while hitting out at the Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and the video went viral the next day drawing flak from all political parties.
While taking on Adhikari, who defeated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the 2021 Assembly elections, Giri dragged the President without naming her and said, “He (Adhikari) says I am not good-looking. How beautiful he is! We don’t judge people by their looks. We respect the chair of your President. How does your Rashtrapati look?’’
ALSO READ | Bengal minister faces criticism for making controversial remarks on President, later apologises
Embarrassed by Giri’s act, the TMC issued a statement saying the party doesn’t endorse his remark.
The TMC had voted against the President and Mamata softened her stance after NDA announced the name of its nominee, the first tribal candidate in the presidential election.
Mamata also mentioned about mistake without mentioning the ongoing probe into the alleged irregularities in recruitment in schools in which the former TMC minister was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
“While working, committing mistakes is not unnatural. If you work, you tend to make mistakes. But we will have to rectify ourselves,’’ said Mamata.
The Chief Minister’s suggestion to ‘rectify’ is said to be aimed at the alleged recruitment scam that damaged the party’s image.
“Our party’s embarrassment was clearly visible following Chatterjee’s arrest and recovery of a huge volume of cash and gold jewellery from one of his close aides. The TMC maintained distance by suspending Chatterjee from the party shortly after his arrest,’’ said a TMC leader.
KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday apologized on behalf of the prisons minister Akhil Giri’s controversial remark over the President’s look.
“Akhil should not have made such a comment. I condemn the utterances of my MLA. I personally have great regard for the President. We have cautioned him… I apologise on behalf of my party. My party already has apologised. I have great regards for the President,” said Banerjee.
“We have cautioned Akhil. In future, if anyone of our party makes comment on a woman’s skin complexion, our party will take stern action against him,’’ said Mamata at Nabanna, the state secretariat.
Mamata’s apology came a day before her visit to Belpahari in Jhargram, a tribal-dominated region where the BJP made deep inroads in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
West Bengal Minister Akhil Giri on Saturday drew widespread criticism for making controversial remarks on President Droupadi Murmu. After the video clip of his comments went viral, Giri apologised for making such a remark.
The West Bengal Chief Minister also said if someone commits a mistake, he or she needs to rectify that.
“When we walk on the road, don’t we trip and fall? We need to rectify that,’’ she said while addressing the children on the occasion of Children’s Day at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata.
Sources in the Trinamool Congress and political observers in the state found the Chief Minister actually referred to minister Akhil Giri’s remark on the President which drew condemnation from all political parties.
On November 11, Giri was caught on camera commenting on the President’s look while hitting out at the Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and the video went viral the next day drawing flak from all political parties.
While taking on Adhikari, who defeated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the 2021 Assembly elections, Giri dragged the President without naming her and said, “He (Adhikari) says I am not good-looking. How beautiful he is! We don’t judge people by their looks. We respect the chair of your President. How does your Rashtrapati look?’’
ALSO READ | Bengal minister faces criticism for making controversial remarks on President, later apologises
Embarrassed by Giri’s act, the TMC issued a statement saying the party doesn’t endorse his remark.
The TMC had voted against the President and Mamata softened her stance after NDA announced the name of its nominee, the first tribal candidate in the presidential election.
Mamata also mentioned about mistake without mentioning the ongoing probe into the alleged irregularities in recruitment in schools in which the former TMC minister was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
“While working, committing mistakes is not unnatural. If you work, you tend to make mistakes. But we will have to rectify ourselves,’’ said Mamata.
The Chief Minister’s suggestion to ‘rectify’ is said to be aimed at the alleged recruitment scam that damaged the party’s image.
“Our party’s embarrassment was clearly visible following Chatterjee’s arrest and recovery of a huge volume of cash and gold jewellery from one of his close aides. The TMC maintained distance by suspending Chatterjee from the party shortly after his arrest,’’ said a TMC leader.
