Union minister and Begusarai MP Giriraj Singh has sparked a political controversy following a remark made at an NDA workers’ felicitation event in Bihar, which the Opposition claims was a veiled attack on the Muslim community.
The comment was delivered on January 10 at a public event in Bachhwara, Begusarai district, organised by Bihar Animal Husbandry Minister Surendra Mehta. Addressing party workers, Singh jokingly suggested that pigs be arranged for him to take up pig rearing, adding that if pigs were kept nearby, “people from here and there would not come close.”
Although the Union minister did not name any community, the remark was widely interpreted as an indirect reference to Muslims, for whom pigs are religiously forbidden. A video clip of the statement quickly went viral, triggering criticism across political circles.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) accused Singh of deliberately targeting minorities and disrupting communal harmony. Begusarai RJD district president Mohit Yadav said such remarks were divisive and demanded accountability, alleging that BJP leaders were indulging in provocative politics.
The controversy escalated after Purnia MP Pappu Yadav launched a sharp attack on Singh on X, using offensive language and accusing him of practising politics rooted in provocation and social division. His post further intensified the political backlash.
Neither Giriraj Singh nor the Bharatiya Janata Party has issued an official response to the allegations so far. Singh has previously courted controversy for his remarks on sensitive social and religious issues, and the latest episode has once again put his public statements under scrutiny.
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