The Scottish Tories have accused an SNP MP of tweeting an "ignorant racial slur".
The party urged Ochil and South Perthshire MP John Nicolson to apologise and delete a tweet in which he said that politicians tend to "tandoori themselves" when they do their own makeup.
Nicolson made the comment in a video ahead of his appearance on BBC’s Debate Night on Wednesday.
He said: If politicians put on the makeup themselves, they tend to go... a bit overly brown. They tandoori themselves”.
Scottish Conservative MSP Pam Gosal has written to Nicolson demanding he says sorry and removes the tweet.
The video has since been deleted.
Gosal is the first woman of Indian descent to serve as an MSP.
She said the comments were “an offensive stereotype that I hoped we’d left behind in the 1970s”.
Gosal said: “I can’t believe John Nicolson thought this ignorant racial slur was remotely appropriate.
“To use the term ‘tandoori’ in relation to brown skin colour is grossly offensive. The subtext is clear: brown people eat curry.
“It’s an offensive stereotype that I’d hoped we’d left behind in the 1970s, yet here we have a supposedly ‘progressive’ politician using it in 2023.
“John Nicolson needs to apologise for his lazy and crude pigeonholing and remove this crass tweet.”
She said in her letter that Nicolson's comments show " a complete lack of respect for the BAME community and disregard for the racism that our community faces every single day.
She wrote: "As a member of the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee and the BAME community, I feel your comment is extremely offensive to the BAME community.
"Your comments comparing brown skin to 'tandoori"' shows a complete lack of respect for the BAME community and disregard for the racism that our community faces every single day.
"As politicians, we must set an example to the public. Therefore, I urge you to delete the tweet and apologise to the community.
"Racism has no place in our society, and we all have a part to play in tackling it. The wealth of diversity across our country should be celebrated. I would be happy to discuss this important issue further."
Nicolson and the SNP have been contacted for comment.
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