At a recent event, Trinamool Congress politician Akhil Giri made disparaging statements about President Droupadi Murmu, according to a complaint lodged by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Locket Chatterjee at the North Avenue police station on Sunday.
Under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) Act, Chatterjee has asked for prompt action and a FIR against Giri. She claimed that Mamata Banerjee ought to sack Giri and personally express her regret to President Murmu.
After filing FIR, Chattarjee said speaking to reports, “Mamata Banerjee should give a statement. Akhil Giri is a minister in her government, she should sack him immediately. She should come to Delhi and apologize. They may say a lot about the SC-ST community in public but this is the actual sentiment of their ministers.”
The objectionable remarks were allegedly made by Akhil Giri against the President of India on Friday while talking about West Bengal opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari. This happened after an incident of unrest in the BJP leader’s Nandigram constituency over the martyr’s day event.
However, West Bengal Minister and TMC politician Akhil Giri on Saturday apologised for his statement against the President of India Droupadi Murmu after receiving harsh condemnation from both the opposition and his own party the day before.
“He (Suvendu Adhikari) says I am not good-looking. How beautiful you are! We don’t judge anyone by their appearance, we respect the office of the President of India. But how does our President look?” Giri had said while hitting out at Suvendu Adhikari.
Giri apologised on Saturday, saying he was sorry and regretted what he had said and that he still respected the Indian Constitution and the office of President.
“I said, President. Didn’t take anyone’s name. If the President of India feels insulted about it, then I am sorry and regret what I said,” the TMC leader said in a statement.
Giri said that he does not regret BJP’s reaction to his remarks.
“I don’t regret how BJP will react to this. I am not concerned about BJP. My reaction was for Suvendu Adhikari,” he claimed.
“I am also part of the Constitution. I have taken an oath and become a minister. He (Suvendu Adhikari) insulted me and said that I look like a crow. He called me a half-pant minister. This is also an insult to me. Calling me half-pant minister is insulting the whole minister panel,” he said.
A number of BJP and TMC officials attacked Akhil Giri for his statements. Leaders of the BJP’s West Bengal branch said that the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC administration was “anti-tribal.”
On Saturday, the tribal affairs minister for the BJP also denounced Giri’s comments and demanded that Mamata Banerjee fire the minister for disrespecting the Indian president.
“They (TMC) find it difficult to accept that an Indian tribal woman is now the country’s president. BJP condemns this vehemently. We’ll see to it that he’s caught (TMC leader Akhil Giri), “said the Union Minister.