
Former BJP MP Tarun Vijay has earned the ire of a lot of people after he made a racist comment on South Indians recently. Vijay was invited by news channel Al Jazeera for their online show The Stream to discuss about the recent attacks on Nigerian students in Uttar Pradesh’s Greater Noida. “If we were racist, why would we have all the entire south…Tamil, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra…why do we live with them? We have black people around us,” he was heard saying in the video. His comment has angered many on social media, especially if the Twitter reactions to his statement are to go by.
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Here are some of the reactions his remark has generated on the micro-blogging site.
I am less aghast by the south Indian dark stantement, than the belief that India is a north indian entity in which others live.#tarunvijay
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— Harini Calamur (@calamur) April 7, 2017
I am a North Indian still dark skinned:(
Sorry for being an embarrassment Tarun Vijay ji and #ThankYouTarunVijay ji for still living with me— Scotchy (@scotchism) April 7, 2017
“Bandra girls are off white” – Tarun Vijay
— Dead Mau5i (@AdvancedMaushi) April 7, 2017
@AdvancedMaushi South Delhi girls are milky white – Tarun vijay.
— Anita Singhal (@anitasinghal) April 7, 2017
Oh! So kind of him! Epitome of tolerance!Tackling accusations of racism with another racist statement! https://t.co/WnkTMBLcfc
— Dr. Misa Bharti (@MisaBharti) April 7, 2017
Tarun Vijay is just like another racist North Indian jerk whose igronace about diversity of India puts right minded Indians to sheer shame
— Debarati Majumder (@debarati_m) April 7, 2017
Perverted logic of Tarun Vijay on racism wrt Africans, If Indians were racist why would they live in south. South india has black people.
— Kamlesh (@maahirahaan) April 7, 2017
Going by Tarun Vijay’s logic ‘black’ South Indians should be grateful to ‘white’ North Indians for living with them.
Sounds fair :P— Bobins Abraham (@BobinsAbraham) April 7, 2017
Hope Tarun vijay doesn’t think of demonetising South Indians because we are black.
— Sanobar Sultana (@sanobarsultana) April 7, 2017
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Facing flak, Vijay took to Twitter to apologise for his remark, and he did so by quoting an instance of Hindu god Krishna’s. “I said we worship Krishna, which literally means black, we were the first to oppose any racism and were in fact victims of racist British. Yes, it sounds ridiculous and very bad. I meant, we worship Krishna, which literally means black. And we have never had any racism,” he tweeted.
I said we worship Krishna, which literally em,ans black, we were the first to oppose any racism and were in fact victims of racist British https://t.co/kjSBSNl9w8
— Tarun Vijay (@Tarunvijay) April 7, 2017
yes, it sounds ridiculous and very bad. I meant, we worship Krishna, which literally means black. and we have never had any racism. https://t.co/I7MddEJk5W
— Tarun Vijay (@Tarunvijay) April 7, 2017
In may parts of the nation we have different people, in colour and never ever we had any discrimination against them. https://t.co/I7MddEJk5W
— Tarun Vijay (@Tarunvijay) April 7, 2017
Mywords perhaps were not enough to convey this.Feel bad,really feel sorry, my apologies to those who feel i said different than what I meant https://t.co/I7MddEJk5W
— Tarun Vijay (@Tarunvijay) April 7, 2017
Watch what I said- we have all people of all colour, and person condemning India was being addressed.Never said what is being interpreted https://t.co/bkmVQBgm0P
— Tarun Vijay (@Tarunvijay) April 7, 2017
I have Tamil, Bengali, Telugu in my family-worked with commitment for Tamil culture, without any politics, collectively with all. https://t.co/QJUjm9XZW2
— Tarun Vijay (@Tarunvijay) April 7, 2017
And, I never , never, even in a slip, termed south india as black. have patience to watch the show before reacting angrily. https://t.co/fyxJQuP3mI
— Tarun Vijay (@Tarunvijay) April 7, 2017
Although Vijay has tried hard to justify his statement, his comment on the show has evidently angered people.
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