'Rashtrapatni' remark row: BJP attacks Sonia Gandhi; Adhir says will apologise to President, not to 'hypocrites'

Vibha Sharma

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New Delhi, July 28

Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s “Rashtrapatni” remark on President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday snowballed into a major political row with the BJP accusing Congress president Sonia Gandhi of “sanctioning the humiliation of a self-made tribal woman”.

The all-out attack by union minister Smriti Irani against Gandhi in the Lok Sabha resulted in angry exchanges between the ruling and opposition leaders inside and outside the Parliament and also some unprecedented scenes in the House after the adjournment was announced.

As different versions emerged, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi called “brutal heckling, verbal assault and physical intimidation of one of the most dignified ladies of Indian politics Sonia Gandhi inside by the BJP, traumatic and sickening”. “That this assault by the BJP MPs took place inside the Parliament reflected the mentality of a mob,” he alleged.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who led the charge in the Rajya Sabha, accused the Congress chief of “greater and greater aggression”.

Bizarre happenings in RS. Finance Minister allowed to speak during Zero Hour. Then Leader of House allowed to repeat performance in Question Hour. The Chair is supposed to be independent but alas…I suggested all Oppn MPs should be suspended as used to happen in Gujarat Assembly!

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) July 28, 2022

Atrocious and outrageous behaviour by Union Minister Smriti Irani in the Lok Sabha today! But will she be pulled up by the Speaker? Are rules only meant for the Opposition?

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) July 28, 2022

“Some of our Lok Sabha MPs felt threatened when Sonia Gandhi came up to our senior leader Rama Devi to find out what was happening during which, one of our members approached there and she (Sonia Gandhi) said “you don’t talk to me”, she said.

“Instead of remorse from the highest leader of the Congress party, we find greater and greater aggression,” she later said.

In the Upper House, Sitharaman condemned Chowdhury calling his comments a “deliberate sexist attack against a person who comes from a tribal background”.

Sitharaman also alleged that the remark was not a “slip of tongue” as Chowdhury professed, but “a deliberate act to insult the President”.

In the Lok Sabha Irani said: “Congress cannot digest the honour for a tribal woman. Congress is not able to digest that a girl of a poor family became the President. A journalist interrupted the Congress leader that you are insulting the President of the country. Even then, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury did not take back the insult of Droupadi Murmu. Congress is anti-tribal, anti-woman, anti-poor and now insults the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.”

“Sonia Gandhi, apologise. You sanctioned the humiliation of Droupadi Murmu. Sonia ji sanctioned humiliation of a woman in the highest constitutional post,” Irani said, pointing towards Gandhi who was present in the House.

As the protests led to an adjournment, Gandhi approached the treasury benches to talk to Rama Devi to “discuss” on her name being taken.

“Why is my name being taken? Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had already apologised. What is my fault,” Gandhi is believed to have asked Rama Devi.

When Irani approached, asking “Ma’am may I help you? I have taken your name in Parliament.” Gandhi replied, “Don’t talk to me,” eyewitnesses claimed as MPs on both sides, including Parliamentary Affairs Ministers, engaged in a war of words.

Blaming Gandhi for what happened, Rama Devi claimed she spoke to Irani angrily, “wagging her finger”.

“Sonia Gandhi’s angry tone started it all,” she said.

“Sonia ji came to me. Sonia ji told Smriti ji I am not speaking to you. You don’t speak to me. Smriti ji asked why, why shouldn’t we speak? You have come to speak to Rama ji?’ Sonia ji said I have come to speak to her,” Rama Devi said.

Congress MPs said Gandhi was only trying to reach out to ruling party leaders over the issue that they were raising.

Congress MP Jyotsna Mahant said while Gandhi was trying to talk to Rama Devi “other BJP MPs started raising fingers at her, creating a ruckus”. Mahant along with NCP’s Supriya Sule and some other women MPs escorted Gandhi out. “Prime Minister Modi should apologise on behalf of the MPs,” Congress MPs said.

Accusing BJP of making mountain of a molehill, Chowdhury claimed he used the remark once “inadvertently not as disrespect”.  “I said it once by mistake…Hang me if you want,” he said in a video message.

Dismissing the demand of apology, Chowdhury said he had sought time from President Murmu and will apologise to her if need be but not to “these pakhandis”.

“India’s President, be it a Brahmin, a Muslim or a tribal, is respectable to us. Why should I apologise to the BJP?

“There is no question of an apology. It was a mistake.  Some mediapersons recorded my inadvertent remark. By the time I could tell them it was a mistake they had aired it. I said Rashtrapati thrice and Rashtrapatni once by mistake. I am a Bengali. I am not used to Hindi. It was a mistake.”

“BJP is short of issues…The issue has been blown out of proportion,” he added.