The National Commission for Women (NCW) has summoned Congress leader Udit Raj over his "sycophancy" remark against President Droupadi Murmu even as the BJP termed the Congress anti-tribal and demanded the opposition party’s apology for his remarks. In a notice issued on Thursday, the Commission asked him to appear before it on October 10 and explain his "extremely condemnable and shameful" comments.
“No country should get a president like Droupadi Murmu. This is height of sycophancy. She says 70 per cent of people eat Gujarat's salt. Spend your life eating salt, then you will know the truth," he had remarked.
At a function recently, Murmu had noted that Gujarat manufactures 76 per cent of salt produced in the country. "It can be said that all countrymen eat Gujarat's salt," she had said. "It is a matter of surprise and pain that Congress leaders are regularly using such undignified expressions. This exposes the party's anti-tribal mindset. The Congress should apologise," BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said. Another BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla hit out at the Congress leader tweeting, "Udit Raj uses unacceptable language for the 1st woman Adivasi President! Does the Congress endorse this insult of Adivasi samaj?" "After Ajoy Kumar called President Draupadi Murmu as evil & then Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary used the term 'Rashtrapatni' now Congress stoops to a new low!" the BJP spokesperson tweeted. In the notice, the NCW said, “The Commission has taken cognisance of his remark. The comments made are extremely condemnable and shameful. The Commission has sent a notice to Shri Udit Raj. NCW has scheduled a hearing and asked Shri Raj to appear before the Commission in person on October 10, 2022 at 3 pm.”
Facing backlash from the BJP and other quarters over social media, the Congress leader put out a clarification on Twitter, saying his statement on President Murmu was his only and "nothing to do with the Congress".
"Her candidature & campaign were in the name adivasi, it doesn’t mean she is no longer adivasi. My heart cries that when SC/ST reach to higher position, they ditch their communities & become mum," he said. But Poonawalla said neither Udit Raj nor the Congress can wash the hands off this by issuing a statement. Raj comes from the Scheduled Caste community and was elected to Lok Sabha on a BJP ticket in 2014. He joined the Congress before the 2019 polls after the BJP denied him a ticket.
"By merely tweeting this is a personal statement won’t do! Congress must tell us if they will ACT ON UDIT RAJ or not for his Adivasi Virodhi statement. This is the third strike after Ajoy Kumar & Adhir Ranjan statements on Murmu ji! This is not a Sanyog ! It is INC mindset," Poonawalla wrote.
NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma tweeted, "Highly objectionable statement against the Supreme power of the country and a woman who with her sheer hard work reached this position. @Dr_Uditraj must apologise for his derogatory and insulting statement. @NCWIndia is sending him a notice."