New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Locket Chatterjee on Sunday (November 13, 2022) filed a police complaint against Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Akhil Giri for his derogatory remarks on President Droupadi Murmu. The BJP parliamentarian filed a complaint against Giri at a police station in Delhi and demanded that he be removed as a minister. The actress-turned-politician requested immediate action and FIR against Giri under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) Act. She also said that TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee should apologize to President Murmu about the incident herself.
“Mamata Banerjee should give a statement. Akhil Giri is a minister in her government, she should sack him immediately. She should come to Delhi and apologize. They may say a lot about the SC-ST community in public but this is the actual sentiment of their ministers,” Locket Chatterjee told reporters.
In a purported video clip, Giri was heard commenting on the looks of the President during a party workers’ meeting in Nandigram on Friday.
“They (BJP) said that I am not good-looking. We don’t judge anyone by their appearance. We respect the office of the President. But how does our President look?” Giri was heard saying.
He, however, apologised after backlash and said that he did not mean to disrespect the President.
“I was replying to what the BJP leaders said while verbally attacking me,” he said.
The TMC also said that the leadership in no way endorsed such a remark.
“We have the utmost respect for Hon’ble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu. Our party strongly condemns the unfortunate remarks made by Akhil Giri and clarifies that we do not condone such statements. In the era of women’s empowerment, such misogyny is unacceptable,” the party said.