Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla's comments that
Brahmins always held a high place in society kicked-up a political row on Wednesday with opposition parties dubbing it as "casteist remarks".
While senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal criticised Birla, saying it is "this mindset that caters to a caste ridden unequal India", independent MLA from Gujarat Jignesh Mevani condemned the comments and demanded an apology from the Lok Sabha Speaker.
"Brahmins have always had a high position in society. This position is the result of their sacrifice and dedication. This is the reason that Brahmin society has always been in the role of a torchbearer," Birla tweeted in Hindi on Sunday.
Apart from sharp reactions from political parties, the people's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) also condemned the Speaker's remarks, posted on Twitter after attending a Brahmin Mahasabha event in Kota on Sunday, and said they will complain to President Ram Nath Kovind.
Sibal also tweeted,"Om Birla: Speaker Lok Sabha said: 'Brahmins are held in high regard by virtue of birth'. It is this mindset that caters to a caste ridden unequal India. We respect you Birla ji not because you are a Brahmin but because you are our Speaker in Lok Sabha."
Congress MP Karti Chidamberam said it does not behove the Lok Sabha Speaker to make such "casteist remarks".
"This is the true face of @BJP4India Hindutva. A hierarchy of caste," he said in a tweet.
Reacting to Birla's remarks, All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Assaduddin Owaisi said, "sir with due respect, Constitution promises justice, equality and fraternity to all."
"As Babasaheb (Ambedkar) said, unless there's fraternity and respect towards fellow humans 'liberty will produce the supremacy of the few over many'. We can't live in an India where one caste is superior to others," Owaisi said in a tweet.
Demanding Birla's apology over the remarks, Mevani said, "this celebration of Indian caste system is not only condemnable but also cringe-worthy! It's a joke on us that a casteist like him is our Lok Sabha speaker. He should publicly apologise for this attitude."
A minister in Rajasthan's Congress government also indirectly criticised Birla's remarks.
"Only the human beings are the best," Rajasthan Education Minister Govind Singh Dotasara said when asked to comment on Birla's remark.
The PUCL said the Speaker's comment went against Article 14 of the Constitution, on equality before law, and demanded that he should withdraw it.
In a statement, the PUCL said the remark promotes casteism and gives other communities a sense of inferiority.
"How can a person holding this constitutional post make such remarks publicly? PUCL strongly condemns this and demand from the Speaker to withdraw the remark," the statement said.
It said the PUCL will complain to President Ram Nath Kovind.
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