Delhi, September 10: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday made a controversial statement. He said that Brahmins are regarded high by birth because of their dedication, sacrifice and guidance to other communities. The Lok Sabha Speaker, who attended a meeting of Akhil Brahmin Mahasabha in Rajasthan's Kota, shared some pictures of the event on micro-blogging site. The caption on the picture on Twitter said Brahmin society has always been in the role of guide to the society.

“Brahmins have always had a high status in society. This status is a result of their sacrifice and dedication. This is the reason that Brahmins have always been the guiding light for society,” Birla said in a tweet in Hindi. Lavanya Tripathi Tweets Against Calling Brahmins the Superior Caste, Deletes it Later.

Tweet by Speaker Om Birla:

His Twitter statement was criticised by several users, some of them said that Birla should respect his position as the Lok Sabha Speaker. Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani also demanded an apology for Birla.

“This celebration of the Indian caste system is not only condemnable but also cringe-worthy! It's a joke on us that a casteist like him is our Lok Sabha speaker. He should publicly apologise for this attitude,” Mevani said.

"Problem with apologising is that it will still not change his ridiculous mindset. It's a tragedy that such people take oath on our constitution that wants to annihilate the caste system," Mevani's another tweet said.

Reacting to Speaker Om Birla's tweet, Telugu actress Lavanya Tripathi said, "As a Brahmin, I don't understand this whole superiority feeling among some of the Brahmins. You become superior or inferior because of what you do, not because of your caste," the actress tweeted. Tripathi, however, was quick to delete the tweet for unknown reasons.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 10, 2019 10:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).