Rijiju seeks apology from Congress over Tharoor’s headgear remark on PM Modi

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Responding to Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor's remark on Prime Minister Narendra Modi not wearing Muslim skull cap, Minister of State for Home, Kiren Rijiju, on Monday asked the Congress party to apologise immediately.

Congress leader Tharoor had earlier on Monday attacked PM Modi by questioning as to why he refuses to wear Muslim skull caps. “Why does PM refuse to wear a Muslim skull cap? Have seen him in hilarious Naga head dress & various extraordinary outfits,” Tharoor said.

According to news agency ANI, Rijiju said that Congress should apologise for the remark and stated that Naga dresses are part of our tradition and cultural outfit.

Rijiju took to Twitter and demanded an apology from the Congress party for insulting the North East and Tribals. In the tweet, Rijiju said that Tharoor through his comments described Naga headgears as funny looking.

I demand apology from the Congress Party for insulting the people of India's North East & Tribals. Shashi Tharoor described North-East people & Naga Tribal headgears as funny looking outlandish & hilarious. — Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) August 6, 2018

BJP's national general secretary Ram Madhav also responded to Tharoor's statement saying the remarks are 'shocking and condemnable'. Madhav told ANI, "Shocking and condemnable he's making such irresponsible statements on Indian cultures and traditions. He should learn to respect all customs."

Tharoor's statement came while he was addressing a seminar with the theme 'Standing up to hatred; Violence and intolerance in contemporary India' in Thiruvananthapuram.

Coming down heavily on the BJP-led government at the Centre, the Congress veteran claimed that communal violence and killing in the name of cow vigilantism had increased in the last four years.

He alleged that as per Home Ministry statistics 2,920 incidents of communal violence had occurred in the country in the last four years, leaving 389 people dead and scores injured.

Tharoor said that such incidents had increased as Modi had not come out openly and condemned the killings.