Paresh Rawal Apologises for His 'Cook Fish For Bengalis' Remark; Says 'It Was A Slip Of The Tongue'

Veteran actor and politician Paresh Rawal, who previously apologized for his ‘cook fish for Bengalis’ remark during a campaign speech in Gujarat, has once again issued a clarification about his statement linking to gas cylinders. This comes after the Bollywood actor faced a massive backlash from the Bengali community on social media. Previously, he suggested that he made a remark about Bengalis cooking fish to make a reference to illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingyas. Now, in an interaction with mid-day, Rawal suggested that his statement was a ‘slip of the tongue.’

According to the actor, his remark was misconstrued and he did not mean to hurt the sentiments of anyone, especially the Bengali community, whose culture and art are something that he looks up to. “It was a slip of the tongue, and what I said was misconstrued. I genuinely didn’t mean any harm to anybody. It hurts me to know that Bengali people whose art, cinema, and literature I look up to, misunderstood me,” he told the portal. Things quickly escalated when the actor during his campaign speech at Valsad, Gujarat, said inflation prices can be brought down but asked what might happen if Rohingya migrants and Bangladeshis begin to live next door.

“Gas cylinders are expensive, but their price will come down. People will get employment too. But what will happen if Rohingya migrants and Bangladeshis start living around you, like in Delhi? What will you do with gas cylinders? Cook fish for the Bengalis?” said Rawal, as per news agency PTI. This ended up irking the Bengali community who flooded social media asking for clarification if it were necessary to stereotype Bengalis eating fish to put forth his opinion.

Upon coming under massive fire, Rawal took to Twitter to apologize for hurting feelings and sentiments. “Of course, the fish is not the issue as Gujaratis do cook and eat fish. But let me clarify by Bengali I meant illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya. But still, if I have hurt your feelings and sentiments I do apologize,” he stated.

This controversy comes at a time when Paresh Rawal is set to play a Bengali role based on the character of Satyajit Ray in his upcoming film The Storyteller.

Read all the Latest Movies News here