NEW DELHI -- Bharatiya Janata Party MP Udit Raj opened up a can of worms on Sunday night after tweeting that Jamaican athlete Usain Bolt's success at the Olympics was a result of eating beef. The parliamentarian, who is also the National Chairman of the All India Confederation of SC/ST Organizations, later clarified that he was not advocating the consumption of beef, which is a sensitive issue in India.
The MP later tweeted: "My tweet is not even remotely connected to advocate beef eating rather it is reproduction of Bolt trainer statement."
He claimed that he had referred to the Bolt example only to "convey-players & society to look at ways to win in games rather blaming circumstances & Govt & eating is their choice".
However, his initial comment and subsequent explanation has spiralled into a controversy, especially since several Indian states have enacted tough laws against beef trade and consumption. Many of these are BJP state governments.
The Dalit leader was a former critic of the BJP before joining the party before the national elections in 2014.
