Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday called it “shameful” and “totally unacceptable” a viral video of dance reality show host Raghav Juyal using “racist rhetoric” against an Assamese contestant. “It has come to my notice that a popular reality show host has used racist rhetoric against a young contestant from Guwahati. This is shameful and completely unacceptable. Racism has no place in our country and we should all This should be categorically condemned,” Himanta Biswa Sarma shared in a tweet.
Earlier, a video featuring Dance Deewane 3 host Raghav Juyal had invited criticism from all quarters for being racist and sarcastic. In the video the host introduces a contestant from the state into the show with a monologue with words such as “Momo”, “Ching Chong” and “Gibberish Chinese”.
After the clip went viral, Raghav issued a statement of his clarification and after the reaction also apologized for hurting the sentiments.
On Monday night, Raghav Juyal defended himself by saying that it was not racism on his part but something that the contestant had said earlier that led to a joke.
Raghav apologized to the people for hurting the people saying it was unintentional. He also urged everyone to watch the entire show to understand his bond with Gunjan and the intention behind the joke. In the video posted on his social media page, Juyal said that people should look at the bigger picture to understand the context of his conversation with contestant Gunjan Sinha. He said that it is important that people understand the situation as being called racist is affecting their mental health. Sharing that he has family and friends in the Northeast, Raghav said that he not only respects the people of the region but has also stood up for them.
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