Congress protests against Giriraj Singh, demands his expulsion

The Congress workers led by senior leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi staged a protest against BJP leader and Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Giraraj Singh's 'white coloured' remark on party supremo Sonia Gandhi and demanded his expulsion from the Union Cabinet.

"Such people should be dismissed. The PM, who has kept silent, should apologise. This is not the first time, but he [Giriraj Singh] has indulged in such comments many a times. Modi ji, Amit Shah should apologise to the country especially to the Congress Party," Joshi said.

Similar protests were held in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, with the Congress workers lashing out Giriraj Singh for his unwarranted comment on Sonia Gandhi and asking the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to sack him.

The police resorted to baton charge to disperse the agitating Congress workers in the national capital.

"The BJP talks about women security and initiates campaigns like 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padao' (Save the girl child, educate the girl child). We will not tolerate this double standard. We will protest against this countrywide," said Congress leader Jagdish Singh.

In Mumbai, the Congress members protested wearing black head scarves.

"We condemn the kind of derogatory language used by their minister, Giriraj Singh, and urge them to remove him from the cabinet," said party leader Sanjay Nirupam.

Earlier on Wednesday, Singh had said his comment on the Congress president was made 'off the record' and added that it was being presented by the media in a different light.

"The things that are being shown by the media were something that was said off the record. People say many kinds of things at home or outside. The way it was presented is a different issue. But If I have hurt anyone's sentiments including Sonia ji and Rahul ji, I regret what I said," he told ANI.

Singh, who was sitting among a group of his supporters in Hajipur in Bihar, had jocularly asked whether Sonia's "white skin" had been her ticket to securing the top job in the Congress Party.

Stoking the controversy further, he further queried, "If Rajiv (Gandhi) had married a Nigerian, things would have been different.