Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah has reprimanded Union minister Giriraj Singh for his racist remarks targeting Congress Party president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday.
Shah asked Singh to "observe absolute restraint in public and in private" and stop embarrassing the party and the government, NDTV reported.
Shah also told Singh, "Let's not attack any leader personally. This was a mistake made by Congress by attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi," CNN-IBN reported.
A wave of outrage has exploded over Singh's remarks about whether Gandhi’s "white skin" helped her claim the top job in the Congress Party. "If Rajiv (Gandhi) had married a Nigerian, things would have been different," he said.
The Congress Party has sought an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Singh's remarks.
"It is not just derogatory to Sonia Gandhi, but to the all women of this country. I think it has become a habit with BJP ministers to make these kinds of outlandish remarks," R.P.N. Singh, former minister of state for Home Affairs told ANI.
"We seek an apology from the Prime Minister," he said.
Singh has said that he "regrets" his remarks but the minister has stopped short of an apology.
Singh's remarks have been severely condemned by political rights parties, the public, and also the Nigerian ambassador OB Okongor, who said, ""I believe PM will do right thing on this. I am not going to lodge protest."
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