New Delhi:
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)'s Kumar Vishwas faced fresh controversy on Monday over remarks he made on nurses from Kerala during a stage show, which were described as racist and raised in the state's assembly.
The Congress accused Mr Vishwas, a satirist, of making offensive remarks against "thousands of Malayali nurses."
In a YouTube video clip, Mr Vishwas is heard saying, "Earlier nurses used to come from Kerala, kali-peeli (dark skinned), one would naturally feel like calling them sister."
The latest controversy comes at a time an AAP minister in Delhi, Somnath Bharti, has been accused of racism after his midnight raid targeting African women in connection with an alleged sex and drug den in his constituency in south Delhi. Mr Bharti has been accused of using racist slur against four women from Uganda who allege that they were abused, beaten up and forced to give urine samples for a drug test.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today began a 10-day sit-in protest demanding action against the Delhi Police for not cooperating with Mr Bharti
"We are totally against racism. If any one of our volunteers or ministers has done any such thing we will take action," Mr Yadav said defending Mr Bharti, even as Kumar Vishwas' remarks went viral online.
Later, AAP's Gopal Ray said, "We are not aware of what he has said. We will ask Mr Vishwas about it."
Last week, a complaint was filed against the poet-turned-politician alleging that he had hurt Muslim sentiments with objectionable comments on the procession of Muharram during a Kavi Sammelan or poets' gathering.
He was also accused by Mallika Sarabhai, who recently joined the party, of making misogynist and anti-minority comments.