Union Minister Giriraj Singh has been widely condemned for racist remarks on Sonia Gandhi
After Union Minister Giriraj Singh's atrocious comments about Sonia Gandhi, her Congress party said he must be fired by the Prime Minister for "the intemperate and distasteful remarks" which are "bordering on insanity." (Minister Giriraj Singh Makes Racist Comments: Your Views Here)
Mr Singh, 62, who is from Bihar, has said, "If Rajiv Gandhi had married a Nigerian lady and not a white-skinned woman, then would the Congress have made her President?" Mrs Gandhi was elected Congress chief in 1998, seven years after her husband and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in Tamil Nadu.
"It appears that continuous quest to appease Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has made him lose his balance," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala. Mr Singh has also been excoriated by leaders from other parties, including his own. "As voters, we must also be alert to who we choose," said the ruling BJP's Kiran Bedi, "dignity and respect cannot be taught." Brinda Karat of the Left said Mr Singh is a "serial offender" who must be publicly reprimanded by the PM.
Mr Singh has been charged with delivering a hate speech ahead of last year's national election, when he pledged that critics and opponents of Mr Modi would be forced to move to Pakistan after the BJP came to power.
Giriraj Singh, a Minister of State, is notorious for his outrageous comments, but has so far remained unpunished. In November, he joined the Union government.