‘Bhow, bhow’: Renuka’s reply on possible privilege motion

The ongoing row over the presence of dog in Parliament escalated further on Wednesday as Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury imitated a dog, saying “bhow bhow”, when asked about a possible privilege motion against her.

Chowdhury said she had no reason to be anxious and would respond accordingly if any action was initiated against her. However, her canine imitation, which has gone viral on social media, escalated the controversy.

The dispute began after she arrived in Parliament on Monday with a rescued stray dog in her car. She later said she had picked up the animal moments after a minor road accident. She said she had briefly stepped into Parliament with the dog but then had the puppy taken to a safe place.

Dismissing allegations about breaching protocol, the Congress MP said there was no rule stopping a member from rescuing an animal in distress.

Her earlier remark that “those sitting inside bite, dogs don’t” had drawn a sharp criticism from the BJP, which accused her of insulting the House.

On the following day, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s comment that pets were “not allowed outside, but allowed inside”, drew further pushback from the ruling party.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said both Chowdhury and Gandhi had disregarded the responsibility expected of MPs and had demeaned fellow parliamentarians and staff.

Party leader Pradeep Bhandari claimed Gandhi was effectively comparing his own colleagues to dogs, while Union Minister Ramdas Athawale taunted the Congress, saying they (the Opposition) could continue “bringing dogs” while the BJP would “keep getting into power”.

On Wednesday, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said the episode reflected the “declining standards” within the Congress.

Meanwhile, Chowdhury maintained that the matter had been blown out of proportion and stressed that rescuing a stray dog should not warrant such outrage.