Piyush Goyal withdraws 'offensive' remark on Bihar in Rajya Sabha

Goyal had said the RJD would one day turn the entire country into Bihar if they have their way

After protests from Opposition benches, Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday withdrew his remarks made in Rajya Sabha that the RJD would one day turn the entire country into Bihar if they have their way, saying he had no intention of insulting the state or its people.

However, he did not tender any apology as demanded by the Opposition with RJD MP Manoj K Jha.

RJD leader Manoj K Jha, who shot off a letter to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar seeking to expunge Goyal's remarks, demanded Goyal's apology in the House during Zero Hour following which Goyal said that he was withdrawing his remarks.

Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge also supported Jha and other RJD and JD(U) members who raised the issue in the House.

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RJD's Manoj K Jha told reporters outside the House, "if he doesn't apologise, we will consider it as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's attempt to insult people of Bihar.” Senior Congress MP Pramod Tiwari demanded Goyal’s removal from the post of Leader of the House.

Several Opposition parties also participated in a protest organised by RJD and JD(U) at the Gandhi Statue in Parliament against Goyal’s remarks. MPs from Congress, Shiv Sena (Thackeray), JMM, CPI and CPI(M) were present.

Goyal, who is also the Leader of Rajya Sabha, on Tuesday had remarked "inka bas chale, toh desh ko bihar hi bana de" (if they have their way, they will turn the country into Bihar) in Rajya Sabha when the RJD MP was speaking on the discussion on Appropriation Bills in the Upper House.

He made the comment on Tuesday as the RJD MP quoted CPI MP Hiren Mukherjee's comments in 1955 while describing Finance Minister TT Krishnamachari as "opinionated" and soft on corporate houses, big capital and huge global capital and drawing a parallel with the present Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

"At the outset, let me clarify that there is absolutely no intention of insulting either Bihar or the people of Bihar. And if at all it has hurt anybody, I will immediately withdraw that statement. It was not made with any malice to anybody at all," he said.

In his letter to Dhankar on Wednesday, Jha said, "Piyush Goyal's statement on Bihar smacked of elitism and was completely uncalled for. Therefore, I demand that Piyush Goyal should immediately make an apology to all the people of Bihar. I also request you to expunge the statement...."

He said one would have thought it impossible that the Leader of the House would make a statement "demeaning" one of the greatest states of the Union of India. "As the Leader of the House of Rajya Sabha, or as it is referred to in the Constitution, Council of States, Piyush Goyal should ponder and reflect on whether the sneering tone with which he speaks about Bihar is appropriate," he said.