Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi lost her cool when a section of the audience showed a lack of enthusiasm while chanting the slogan 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'.
The furious remarks were made as she was winding up the inaugural speech at Youth Conclave 2024 organised by certain right-wing outfits in Kozhikode, Kerala, on Saturday.
During her inaugural speech, Lekhi, visibly irritated, urged the audience to chant the slogan loudly. When the response did not meet her expectations, she stated, "Your voice has to be loud, so that every one person can make a difference."
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Despite repeating the chanting of the slogan, the minister found the audience's enthusiasm lacking. “A few guys are sitting there with their hands folded... Is Bharat only my mother or your mother as well? Tell me, tell me, any doubts? No doubts? Enthusiasm needs to be expressed,” she said.
She repeated the slogan and said that the response from the left side audience was still poor.
Lekhi pointed to a woman in the audience and said, "The lady in yellow (dress) can stand up. Don't look on to the sides. This is how I am going to speak to you. I am going to ask you a straight question. Bharat is not your mother?... Why this attitude?" The minister again chanted Bharat Mata Ki Jai. The woman was still standing idle, doing nothing.
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"I think you should leave the house," she said.
The minister also said that someone who does not feel proud of the nation and finds it uncomfortable to speak about India should not be part of the youth conclave.
