BORIS Johnson has become embroiled in controversy again after making another gaffe.
The Foreign Secretary was on the campaign trail in Bristol at the Nirman Sewak Jatha temple, seeking to win over the Sikh vote when he suffered from another foot-in-mouth incident.
During the visit he was caught on film, posted online by the Bristol Post, in which Mr Johnson tells the temple: "Whenever we go to India, to Mumbai or to Delhi, we have to bring 'clinkie' in our luggage.
"We have to bring Johnnie Walker, we have to bring whisky because as you may know there is a duty of 150 per cent in India on imports of Scotch whisky so we have to bring it in duty free for our relatives.
"But imagine what we could do if there was a free trade deal with India; which there will be."
However, one unnamed Sikh worshipper took Mr Johnson to task; some Sikh teachings consider alcohol to be banned.
The video shows a woman at the temple, informing the Tory frontbencher that alcohol is "against our religion".
"I wouldn't be wanting to put somebody in power who wants to put more alcohol in India which is causing a lot of problems already," she told him.
"When I heard that on the news I thought 'no way am I going to vote Tory' because I don't want alcohol. I'm a practising Sikh. To me that is absolutely outrageous."
The Foreign Secretary replied: "I understand your point of view. Thank you very much for your question."
BBC reporter Pete Simson, who also attended the event, tweeted that the woman told Mr Johnson she had experienced alcohol problems in her family.
"He's apologised several times," added Mr Simson.
Speaking after the event, Bhai Narinderjit Singh, General Secretary of the UK Sikh Federation, criticised Mr Johnson's remarks.
"No politician in his right mind would speak in a Gurdwara about a trade deal involving alcohol," he declared. "It is a requirement that Sikhs should not consume any intoxicants.”
Mr Singh added that anyone who had consumed alcohol or was carrying tobacco was not allowed to enter a Gurdwara with signs pointing this out.
"Boris Johnson should know much better, after all he is the Foreign Secretary and his mother-in-law is a Sikh," he explained.
"Ministers and other politicians who visit Gurdwaras need to understand the basic protocols and the live issues or they just show they are out of touch with the Sikh community and do not deserve our votes."
Mr Singh said members of the federation's Bristol branch had also challenged Mr Johnson on an independent public inquiry into the Sikh Genocide in 1984. The matter has been featured in Labour's manifesto.
"To the best of my knowledge on this matter, we think that there is no more evidence to be produced," Mr Johnson told the members.
When asked if the matter was closed, he replied: "To the best of my knowledge it has been closed for some years."
Later, a spokesman for Secretary of State said the other 30 attendees at the temple had "warmly welcomed" his remarks.
"He pointed out that in India billions of litres of whisky are consumed every year but there is a 120 per cent[customs duty] on imports of Scotch whisky and wouldn't it be great if we could have free trade," he added.
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