Union minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti refuses to comment on her controversial remarks

KANPUR: Union Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti today refused to comment on the controversy generated by the remarks made by her at a public meeting in Delhi.

Jyoti was in the district to visit the house of CRPF Deputy Commandant B S Verma, who was among the 14 CRPF personnel killed in the recent encounter with Maoists in Chhatisgarh's Sukma district. She met the family members of Verma and offered them her condolences.

The union minister, who was on her way to her parliamentary constituency Fatehpur, refused to answer to media queries regarding her controversial remarks at a public meeting.

Proceedings in Parliament have been disrupted this week over the issue. Leaders of nine opposition parties have issued a joint statement demanding a resolution condemning Jyoti's remarks who, they said, deserves 'outright removal'.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made an appeal to parties in both the Houses of Parliament to break the deadlock, urging the opposition to show 'magnanimity' by accepting the apology of the minister, taking into account her social background as she hails from a village.