Kolkata: One day after a verbal spat erupted between union minister Babul Supriyo and a Muslim college student, wherein the former threatened to pack off the youth to "his own country", the student demanded an unconditional apology “in front of all the Indians" for targeting him over his Muslim name.
The student, Mustafizur Rahman, said he wanted nothing but an "unconditional apology" in public from the BJP leader.
On December 26, Supriyo shared a post on the social media advocating CAA and criticised the act of a female JU student, who tore up the first page of the contentious legislation at the annual convocation of the university while receiving her gold medal on December 24.
The next day Rahman commented on Supriyo's Facebook post and questioned the educational qualifications of Supriyo and BJP state president Dilip Ghosh.
"Babul-da (dada) how educated are people like you can be gauged from the fact that your mentor (state president) Dilip Ghosh spots gold in cow milk," Rahman said in his comment on Supriyo's post.
To this Supriyo retored "Mustafizur Rahaman let me first pack you off to your country, then will send the reply in post card". The comment triggered a wave of protests.
Rahman, who is a final year student of chemistry at a college at Ilambazar in Birbhum district, in a prompt rejoinder said, "I am in possession of enough proof about my identity as Indian and Bengali. You don't know how to respect Bengalis and still you are the MP of the state..... Are you drinking cow urine regularly?"
The youth received the support from a number of netizens and organisations like 'Jatiya Bangla Sammelan' after screenshots of the comments went viral on social media since December 27.
Referring to the stinging remarks by the union minister against him, Rahman said, "It was an outrageous comment by a minister who has taken the oath to protect the Constitution. He cannot discriminate 130 crore Indians on the basis of caste and religion.
"I was born and brought up here. I only demand an unequivocal public apology from him on social media and through statement - nothing less nothing more," he said.
In a video clip, the 19-year-old said he was targeted because of his Muslim name. "I am a citizen of India. Bapul Supriyo is a Union minister... how can he make such a remark? We, the people, have elected him. India is a secular country. People of different religions live together here... You are a Union Minister. You should apologise in front of all the Indians for making such a comment."
Reacting to the youth's demand for apology, Supriyo claimed that Rahman is a "serial offender" on social media. "He (Rahman) could have told me whatever he wanted to. I had made the comment with a pinch of a salt. Those who are fools won't understand my comment. It has nothing to do with Hindus or Muslims. I don't need to apologize to fools," Supriyo said.
"Why did he (Rahman) bring in Dilip Ghosh in the conversation? Whoever makes abusive comment on my Facebook or Twitter page I just block that person. I have blocked Rahman too," he said.
Ghosh had courted controversy in November 2019 for saying that Indian cow milk contains traces of gold and that is the reason the colour is yellow. He later sought to justify it by saying it was backed by conclusions of research taking place in foreign countries.
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