Singer Ananya Birla slams US restaurant for being ‘racist'
New York: Ananya Birla, the daughter of Aditya Birla Group's billionaire chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, has slammed a US restaurant for being racist , saying the Italian-American dining place in California literally threw her and her family out of their premises.
The singer and artist took to Twitter to share her ordeal on Saturday, saying this is not okay .
This restaurant @ScopaRestaurant literally threw my family and I, out of their premises. So racist. So sad. You really need to treat your customers right. Very racist. This is not okay, she said in a tweet.
The Scopa Italian Roots restaurant is an Italian-American dining place by chef Antonia Lofaso in California.
We waited for 3 hours to eat at your restaurant. @chefantonia Your waiter Joshua Silverman was extremely rude to my mother, bordering racist. This isn't okay, Ananya said in another tweet, in which she tagged Lofaso.
She is the daughter of Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and educationist and mental health activist Neerja Birla. In a tweet, Neerja also lashed out at the restaurant for ill-treating them.
Very shocking absolutely ridiculous behaviour by @ScopaRestaurant. You have no right to treat any of your customers like this, she said.
I have never experienced anything of this sort. Racism exists and is real. Unbelievable. @ScopaRestaurant, their son Aryaman Birla also tweeted.
This restaurant @ScopaRestaurant literally threw my family and I, out of their premises. So racist. So sad. You really need to treat your customers right. Very racist. This is not okay.
— Ananya Birla (@ananya_birla) October 24, 2020
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Catholic Bishops' body slams Bhagwat's remarks
New Delhi: The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India on Thursday slammed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for his reported remark that Pranab Mukherjee, when he was President, had said tribals would turn "anti-national" if there is no "ghar wapsi"Catholic Bishops.'
In a statement issued here, CBCI, a body of Catholic Bishops, referred to reports which said Bhagwat, at an event on Monday, claimed that Mukherjee, while he was President had appreciated ghar wapsi and told him that had it not been for the Sangh's work on reconversion, a section of Adivasis would have turned "anti-national".The CBCI called the report "shocking".
"Fabricated personal conversation being attributed to a former president of India and its posthumous publication with the vested interest of an organization with questionable credibility raises a grave issue of national importance," the CBCI claimed.
"Is it not the violent ghar wapsi program of VHP and other similar organizations, curtailing the exercise of freedom of conscience of economically deprived tribals, the real anti-national activity?" it asked.
'Ghar wapsi' is a term used by the RSS and affiliated organisations to refer to reconversion of Muslims and Christians to Hinduism, based on the belief that they were originally Hindus before converting to other religions.
The CBCI also questioned why Bhagwat did not speak about it while Mukherjee was alive.
"We, the 2.3 percent of Indian citizens who are Christians feel extremely hurt by such manipulated and motivated propaganda unleashed," it said.
In a post on X following the statement issued by CBCI, Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien said, "Speak up. This is a start!"
"Bishops body have issued a statement condemning remarks made by Dr Mohan Bhagwat and RSS for defaming the Christian community," he said.
O'Brien added that they should ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi more questions, including why Christmas Day has been turned into "Good Governance Day".
The TMC leader, in a blogpost earlier this month, had said "hard questions" must be asked to the government with regards to the Christian community, including why the FCRA has been 'weaponised', and why has Manipur been 'ignored'.
