Tharoor had said PM Modi could wear 'outlandish headgear and hilarious Naga headdress but not a skull cap'.
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Monday demanded an apology from Congress MP Shashi Tharoor over his outlandish gear comment.
In a series of tweets, Rijiju said Tharoor's comment is an 'insult' to the people of northeast and demanded an apology for calling Naga community's and other tribes' headdress as 'hilarious' and 'outlandish'.
"I demand apology from the Congress Party for insulting the people of India's North East & Tribals. Shashi Tharoor described North-East people & Naga Tribal headgears as funny looking outlandish & hilarious," Rijiju posted on Twitter.
"Congress Party & Shashi Tharoor ji please explain what's the English meaning of outlandish & hilarious headgear? You can't get away after insulting the Tribal & North East people," Rijiju said in another tweet.
Tharoor's comment also led to a sharp rebuke from BJP general secretary Ram Madhav who condemned the Congress leader's remark.
"Shocking&condemnable he's making such irresponsible statements on Indian cultures&traditions.He should learn to respect all customs," Madhav was quoted as saying to news agency ANI.
On Sunday, while addressing a seminar in Thiruvananthapuram with the theme ‘Standing up to hatred: Violence and intolerance in contemporary India’, Tharoor alleged PM Modi could wear ‘outlandish headgear but not a skull cap.’
Tharoor said: “Why does our Prime Minister, who wears all sorts of outlandish headgear wherever he goes around the country, refuse to wear a Muslim skullcap? You've seen him in hilarious Naga headdress, feathers, and various kinds of extraordinary outfits. Why does he refuse to wear the green?”
He went on to say: “During his speeches, he would call Rahul Gandhi a princeling, but he'd never call him a Rajkumar, he'd call him Shehzada because it's a Urdu/Persian word.”
At the event, Tharoor came down heavily on the BJP led government at the Centre and claimed communal violence, killing in the name of cow vigilantism had increased in the last four years.
Tharoor alleged that as per Home Ministry statistics 2,920 incidents of communal violence had occurred in the country in the last four years, leaving 389 people dead and scores injured.
He said such incidents had increased as Modi had not come out openly and condemned the killings.
The seminar was organised by the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Development Studies, run by the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Kiren Rijiju")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}