Would a 'dark' Sonia been made Congress chief, asks 'racist' Giriraj Singh

'If Rajiv (Gandhi) had married a Nigerian, things would have been different,' says Union minister of state for MSME

Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Giriraj Singh landed himself in another political controversy on Wednesday, when he racially targeted Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

Sitting among a group of his supporters in Hajipur, Singh asked jocularly 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."

Reacting to Singh's statement, Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Brinda Karat termed it as derogatory and in full contempt of working women.

"This is racist and I strongly condemn it. How dare he make such racist statements? The entire statement shows the low level of public discourse," Karat said.

"In our country, there is no stringent code of conduct which can control such remarks. It is unfortunate. I think it is high time both parliament and the state assembly should consider it," she added.

Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav said that the figure (physical features) of a person was more important than his or her complexion.

A sexist comment also came from the Chief Minister of Goa, Laxmikant Parsekar, who said, "Hunger strike in sun will make you dark and ruin marital prospects".