Former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju is known for shooting his mouth off as he posts his opinion on a variety of topics on Facebook. But this time, looks like he has bitten off more than he can chew.
In a post on Facebook on 10 October, Katju wrote that people from Odisha are ‘poor chaps’ and are a ‘dejected lot.’
A quick scroll through his Facebook page reveals that his dig against Odisha is just one of several posts where he writes about other states in India, masking his offensive comments as ‘jokes’. But people from Odisha took offence at his comments and asked him to apologise, following which he wrote:
Two Odia TV channels came to interview me at my residence just now – OTV and Prameya News7. The interviewers said that there was a lot of anger in Odisha against me over my FB post. I said that I had written my post in lighter vein. However, if Odia people are feeling hurt, I apologise. I had no intention to hurt their feelings, and was only joking, just as I had joked about Biharis, Tamilians, etc. I have great respect for Odia people and of their great achievements. When I went to Odisha, where I have been many times, I marvelled at the sight of the Konarak and Lingaraj temples. My grandfather, Dr KN Katju had been Governor of Odisha in 1947, and I have strong ties with the state. On my last visit, I met the Chief Minister Mr Naveen Patnaik, who gave me a lot of respect. So I apologise again if anyone’s feelings have been hurt. Jai Lord Jagannath. P.S: I hope after this apology, people of Odisha will be large hearted enough to let me enter the state, and indeed will invite me. (sic)
His apology had been since removed from his Facebook page, but Katju has since posted cryptic messages about the trolling and ‘gaalis’ he has received since his comment.
In his previous posts, he has offered his insight about Gujarat as well. But the real question is, how would Delhi fare in his all-state assessment of regional qualities in India?
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