BJP MP and Dalit leader Udit Raj raised a few eyebrows today with a tweet which suggested that Jamaican athlete and Olympics Triple Gold winner Usain Bolt went on to win nine Olympic gold medals despite being born in poverty after his trainer advised him to eat beef twice a day. “Usain Bolt of Jamaica was poor and trainer advised him to eat beef both the times and he scored 9 gold medals in Olympics,” the Lok Sabha member from North West Delhi tweeted.
Beef is an emotive issue for the BJP. States ruled by the party have come out with tough laws banning its trade. Udit Raj, however, later tried to play down any controversy saying that he merely repeated what Bolt’s trainer had said and all he meant was the athletes can find a way to excel despite adversities and they should not blame circumstances for their failures.
“All I wanted to say that giving excuses that we don’t have infrastructure or there is corruption should be done away with and lesson, dedication should be learnt from Usain Bolt… What I wanted to say is our players should find ways and means as he found ways and means [sic],” he later said, adding there is no lack of facilities for sports persons in the country. Government spends a huge amount of money on them compared to nations like Jamaica or Kenya, he said, steering clear of any mention of beef.
[source;indianexpress]
