MP IAS officer apologises for 'misinterpreted' Brahmin community remark

Senior IAS officer Santosh Verma has apologised for controversial remarks on the Brahmin community. He claimed his comments, made at an AJJAKS meeting where he was elected president, were misinterpreted and taken out of context.

A senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, Santosh Verma, has apologised for his controversial remarks on Brahmin community, saying that his comments were misinterpreted and presented in a distorted manner. The IAS officer said that he never intended to insult any community or religion.

'No Intention of Creating Political Uproar'

"I had no intention of creating political uproar. Simply, it was our state executive meeting of Madhya Pradesh AJJAKS (Anusuchit Jati-Janjati Adhikari Evam Karmchari Sangh). During the meeting, our previous president of AJJAKS, who held the position for the last 21 years, submitted his resignation and I was elected new president of AJJAKS unanimously. After that, we were sharing our views on whether reservation should be on an economic or social basis," said state President of (AJJAKS) and IAS officer, Santosh Verma.

The meeting of Madhya Pradesh AJJAKS had held at Ambedkar Park in the state capital Bhopal on November 23. During the meeting, IAS officer Santosh Verma was appointed as the new president of the AJJAKS, who is the Deputy Secretary of state Agriculture Department.

"A few people believed that if anyone has become an IAS officer then any other member of the family should not be eligible for reservation. Speaking on this, I had said that if I am financially independent and my social backwardness is over, then my children and our community should receive 'roti-beti' treatment from society. But only a particular portion was propagated from my address," Verma said.

He further added that he had no ill-will towards any community nor had any intention to hurt the daughter of any community. "If my words have hurt the sentiments of any individual, or community, I sincerely apologise. Some people propagated only a portion of what I had said. Those who have fanned this controversy have taken only one line from the speech I had made," he said.

The Controversial Remark

Notably, the officer had sparked outrage after a video went viral in which he reportedly made a controversial comment about Brahmin daughters. Verma could be heard saying "Until a Brahmin donates his daughter or establishes a relationship with my son, reservations should continue."

Hindu Body Condemns Statement

Meanwhile, Hindu Utsav Samiti president Chandrashekhar Tiwari condemned the officer's statement saying the officer's remark hurts the sentiment of the entire community and he should apologise. "Santosh Verma should immediately apologise for his remark. The kind of comment he has made hurts the entire community. If he does not apologise, the Brahmin community will launch a large-scale protest," Tiwari said. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)