Giriraj Singh apologises for remarks on Sonia Gandhi

New Delhi, April 20, 2015: (Agencies) Lok Sabha was adjourned amid uproar from opposition demanding an apology from Narendra Modi over the Minister's comments.Union Minister Giriraj Singh apologised in Parliament on Monday for his remarks on Congress president Sonia Gandhi earlier this month.The Lok Sabha was adjourned after Congress disrupted proceedings demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's apology over Mr. Singh's comments.The minister had made the comment during an informal interaction with journalists in Bihar recently.Mr. Singh was reported to have remarked that “had Rajiv Gandhi married a Nigerian woman and had she not been of white skin, would the Congress party have accepted her as a leader?” He also took a dig at the Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s long disappearance. “Rahul Gandhi aise gayab ho gaye hain jaise Malaysian airline (Rahul Gandhi has disappeared like the missing Malaysian airline),” said the Minister, considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.An outraged Congress had said the



Minister’s “intemperate and distasteful remarks border on insanity. adds As soon as the House met for the day, Congress members raked up Mr. Singh’s remarks against Sonia Gandhi.Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said BJP MPs and ministers have continuously been making unwarranted and irresponsible statements. Such remarks create fissures in the society and hurt the harmony, he said.Jyotiradiya Scindia said such remarks make people hang their heads in shame. “It is an insult to the Nigerians also...the Nigerian High Commissioner has also protested.”He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should apologise and this time, the minister should not only apologise but also tender his resignation.While rejecting a host of adjournment motions moved by Congress, AIADMK and Left members, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan allowed Mr. Scindia to raise the issue of Mr. Singh’s remarks.She said she was also hurt by the remarks and such statements should not be made.Both Ms. Gandhi and Mr. Singh were present in the House.