Two cases filed against Giriraj in Bihar

Patna: Two Congress leaders in Bihar on Thursday filed separate court cases against union minister Giriraj Singh for his allegedly racist remark about Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

"I have filed a case in the chief judicial magistrate's (CJM) court against Giriraj Singh for his racist remark against Sonia Gandhi and for insulting and hurting the sentiments of women," said Sanjay Kumar Singh, a Congress leader from Muzaffarpur district.

He said he was deeply pained by Giriraj Singh's statement against Sonia Gandhi and approached the court to issue a directive to police to register a case against the Bharatiya Janata Party leader.

The court directed the local police to register a case against Giriraj Singh, he said.

Another Congress leader, Pawan Kumar Choudhary, filed a similar case against Giriraj Singh in the CJM's court in Darbhanga district.

"I filed a case against Giriraj Singh because his statement hurt millions of Congress workers," he said.

The Darbhanga CJM's court has fixed April 6 to hear the case.

At an event in Hajipur in Bihar on Tuesday, Giriraj Singh had said: "Had Rajiv Gandhi married a Nigerian and if she (Sonia) was not white-skinned, would the Congress have then accepted her leadership? It is her white skin which has brought her to the helm."

The union minister of state for micro, small and medium enterprises has, however, apologised and said it was an "off-the-record" remark.