Member of Parliament from Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) and Dalit leader Udit Raj raised a few eyebrows on Sunday with a tweet which suggested that champion Jamaican athlete Usain Bolt went on to win nine Olympics gold despite being born in poverty after his trainer advised him to eat beef twice a day.
Beef is a sensitive issue for BJP whose governments in various states have come out with tough law banning its trade.
Udit Raj, however, tried to play down any controversy saying that he merely repeated what Bolt’s trainer had said and all he meant was the athletes can find a way to excel despite adversities and they should not blame circumstances for their failures.
In a series of Tweets, Udit Raj tried to clarify himself.
Government spends a huge amount money on them compared to nations like Jamaica or Kenya, he said, steering clear of any mention of beef. In an interview, he also clarified that BJP does not hold anything against people eating beef.
(With inputs from PTI)
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