April 10, 2026 09:37 am (IST)
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Oppn demands apology from Smriti Irani for Durga comment
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IBNS) Amid opposition demand for apology for her remarks on Goddess Durga while replying on the JNU controversy, HRD Minister Smriti Irani Friday said she is a "practising Hindu and Goddesh Durga worshipper" and had to utter the words with "a lot of pain."
"I read it because I was asked to explain what is the truth. I said it with a lot of pain. I myself am a practising Hindu, I myself am a Durga worshipper. These are authenticated documents from the university itself," Irani said in Parliament referring to observance of Mahishasur Martyrdom Day on the JNU campus.
The Rajya Sabha chairman said if any objectionable references have been made in the speech of Irani it would be expunged even as Opposition clamoured for her apology.
In Parliament Irani said earlier: "Posted on October 4, 2014. A statement by the SC, ST and minority students of JNU. And what do they condemn? May my God forgive me for reading this.
"Durga Puja is the most controversial racial festival, where a fair-skinned beautiful goddess Durga is depicted brutally killing a dark-skinned native called Mahishasur. Mahishasur, a brave self-respecting leader, tricked into marriage by Aryans. They hired a sex worker called Durga, who enticed Mahishasur into marriage and killed him after nine nights of honeymooning during sleep."
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