Cooch Behar locals protest Sushil Modi’s remark on Gayatri Devi
The local people and politicians of Cooch Behar came down heavily on the senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi for his comments on Gayatri Devi, the much-loved daughter of the royal family of Cooch Behar and queen of Jaipur.
While on a visit to the Cooch Behar Palace, Modi said, “The kings and royals would collect taxes from common people and use the money to make huge mansions. They had a luxurious lifestyle, would indulge in multiple marriages, and were least bothered about the rights of commoners. These people were fond of hunting. It is because of this practice that the population of tigers came down in the country.”
The local people said that contrary of what Modi thought, Gayatri Devi was extremely concerned about the people of her princely state of Cooch Behar and was very popular.
District Trinamul leaders accused him of making “derogatory” remarks about the royal family. They burnt an effigy of him in front of the palace gate and demanded an apology from him.
Realising his mistake, the BJP leader went into damage control mode later in the evening.
Doing a volte-face, he said, “Whatever I have said is not about the kings of Cooch Behar. It was a general remark about most of the kings and royals of this country. The kings here have worked for peoples’ interests. Also, Gayatri Devi was known for her service to people. She had even spent months in jail.”
