BJP’s Suresh Gopi withdraws comment calling for upper-castes to lead tribal affairs ministry
The Union minister said he had requested Narendra Modi several times, since becoming a Rajya Sabha MP in 2016, that he be given the tribal affairs portfolio.
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Union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Kerala Suresh Gopi sparked an uproar on Sunday by suggesting that an upper-caste person be made the Minister for Tribal Affairs while someone from the backward castes be appointed as minister for empowerment of upper-caste groups, PTI reported.
Responding to backlash, the actor-turned-politician later withdrew his comments.
“This is another curse of our country that a non-tribal person cannot be the Minister for Tribal Affairs,” Gopi had said while campaigning for the BJP in East Delhi’s Mayur Vihar area, which has a significant Malayali population.
The Assembly elections in Delhi will be held on Wednesday. The votes will be counted on Saturday.
Gopi also said: “It is my wish and dream that an upper-caste person should become the tribal affairs minister for the empowerment of the tribal community. If there is a tribal person, who is supposed to become tribal affairs minister, the person should be made the minister for the empowerment of the upper-caste community. This change should happen in our democratic system.”
“Let a Brahmin or Naidu look after affairs of tribals, there will be a big change,” he added. “I have made this request to Modi ji, but there are certain customs for these things.”
Gopi claimed he had requested Prime Minister Narendra...
