Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s opposition BJD Wednesday demanded an apology from Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi over his purported statement on the skin colour of tribal women.
A video clip in which Majhi, himself a tribal from Keonjhar district, was heard making the statement has gone viral on social media.
“I always wanted to marry a fair girl. But tribal girls are not fair. So in search of a fair girl, I got linked to Mayurbhanj district as I married a girl from there,” he was heard saying in the footage while addressing the ‘Mayurbhanj Utsav’ here Sunday.
PTI, however, could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
“Majhi’s statement that tribal girls are not fair has hurt the sentiments of the community. We demand an apology from him,” senior BJD leader and former Rajya Sabha MP Sarojini Hembram told reporters at Baripada, the district headquarters of Mayurbhanj, Wednesday.
“This statement reflects Majhi’s discriminatory mindset. As a tribal himself, his remark that tribal women are not fair has deeply hurt our sentiments,” Hembram said.
The BJD leader also alleged that incidents of rape and atrocities against tribal women are increasing across the state.
“Since the BJP government took power, the development of tribals in the state has been neglected. Once the Polavaram project is completed in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh for which the BJP-led central government has been funding, as many as 122 tribal-dominated villages in Malkangiri will be submerged.
“Yet, Odisha’s tribal Chief Minister remained silent on this issue,” Hembram said.
BJD leader and Mayurbhanj Zilla Parishad President Bharati Hansda also criticised the chief minister for the comment.
“Instead of ensuring the safety and welfare of the tribal community, he (Majhi) has made disparaging remarks about the complexion of tribal women, which is extremely unfortunate,” Hansda said.
Earlier, senior Congress leaders including Koraput MP Saptagiri Ulaka and Odisha in-charge of the party Ajoy Kumar had slammed Majhi over his remark.
PTI