For his hateful remarks, Tripura CM Biplab Deb needs to be condemned outright

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb has managed to away with it. Possibly because Tripura is far away from the heartland of India, and also because it is a small state. It could also be because people are forgiving, and he is too small a fish in the BJP pond to make his words count. But next time he may not be so lucky, especially with the approaching general elections in 2019.

Just a few days ago, Prime Minister Modi said what millions of Indians were waiting for him to say. Keep your mouth closed, he advised the motormouths in his party.

But, in less than a few hours, Biplab Deb opened his mouth, only to put his foot into it. On Thursday, the Tripura chief minister used a design workshop on handlooms and handicrafts to ask whether Diana Hayden, a former Miss India who went on to win Miss World, was worthy of representing India. According to him, actor Aishwarya Rai, who was also Miss World, was worthy as she “represented Indian women”. It was a second guffaw.

Some days ago, the Tripura chief minister marked his one month in office with a public bash. In the course of the event, he said ancient Indians had internet with all its features, as well as satellites, and they had them way before the developed world had. He referred to Sanjaya in Mahabharata narrating battle scenes to blind Dhritharashtra, and adduced that as proof.

The young chief minister's speech drew flak from various quarters. Even BJP workers and leaders were embarrassed, and no one came to Biplab's rescue.

The Miss World issue has seemingly blown over, with the chief minister apologising to Diana, after the beauty queen-cum-ad professional pointed out that the minister had picked on her brown skin, and it was the bias for fair skin that had led to the shameful criticism.

But the truth which Diana has skirted, perhaps in a bid to avoid controversy, is that the BJP leader picked a minority name—Diana Hayden—which does not have its origins in Sanskrit or Hindi. By contrasting it with that of Aishwarya, Biplab Deb exposed his anti-minority bias. It needs to be condemned outright, more so because he is also the chief minister of the minorities in Tripura.