Union Minister triggers controversy calling Tagore dark-skinned

Kolkata: Union minister of state for education Subhash Sarkar has sparked a controversy by calling Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel Laureate from Bengal, a dark-skinned whose mother was hesitant to take his arm due to this.

Sarkar's racial toned comment on Tagore irked the experts and admirers of Tagore, and also rival politicians who said the education minister is illiterate. The minister's statement on Tagore's complexion has also been termed as an attempt of diverting the discussion on the woes the Indian education system is facing.

The critics said that the minister deceptively diverted the discussion to the complexion of Tagore instead of talking about the shortcomings of the education system or how to bridge the digital divide to ensure that more students could attend online classes.

Sarkar made this statement while visiting the Tagore founded Visva Bharati University at Shantiniken in Bengal's Bolpur district. The minister later clarified that his statement on skin tone was neither meant to defame Tagore nor his family.

Several experts on Tagore wondered what prompted the minister to bring the skin tone of the legend into public discourse.

The former Rabindra Bharati University Vice-Chancellor Pabitra Sarkar slammed the Union Minister's remark asking whether the union minister was trying to make Rabindranath dark-skinned as Africans.

"When a BJP central minister talks about skin tone, it exposes the deep-rooted racism in his mind. The Prime Minister and other senior leaders of the party should condemn his statement," said CPM leader Sujan Chakraborty.

"They divide the country in terms of religion and caste.… Now, they have begun bringing skin tone in the discourse," he added, expressing his dismay at how the BJP was trying to divide the society.

Meanwhile, the state BJP unit came out defending the Union minister with a statement that comment was taken out of context that the minister neither said anything against Rabindranath Tagore nor his family. He has spoken against discrimination on the basis of the colour of his skin.