Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan on Friday demanded an apology from Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar following a heated exchange over remarks made by BJP MP Ghanshyam Tiwari against Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge.
Expressing her dissatisfaction, Bachchan stated, “I objected to the tone used by the Chair. We are not school children. Some of us are senior citizens. I was upset with the tone, especially when the Leader of Opposition stood up to speak, and he switched off the mike.”
She further added, “How can you do this? You have to allow the Leader of the Opposition to speak… I mean using unparliamentary words every time, which I do not want to say in front of you all. He uses words like nuisance, ‘Buddhiheen’.”
Bachchan also recounted an incident where Dhankhar allegedly made a dismissive remark, saying, “He said you may be a celebrity, I do not care. I am not asking him to care. I am saying I am a member of Parliament. This is my fifth term. I know what I am saying.”
Bachchan, flanked by other women MPs including Sonia Gandhi, emphasized, “The way things are being spoken in Parliament these days, nobody has ever spoken before. I want an apology.”
Supporting her, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi remarked, “She (Jaya Bachchan) comes with vastly more experience than the Vice President himself. He cannot disrespect the Member of Parliament.” Similarly, TMC MP Dola Sen added, “She has not come here as a celebrity. She has come here as an elected Member of Parliament.”
Earlier in the day, amid demands from Opposition Rajya Sabha MPs to expunge Tiwari’s remarks about the LoP, Jaya Bachchan had raised concerns about the tone used by Chairman Dhankhar. The Chairman, however, took strong exception to her remarks, stating that he did not need “schooling” and that he operates without a script.
The Opposition members, in response, staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha. As they exited, Chairman Dhankhar referenced the anniversary of the Quit India movement, suggesting that the Opposition was “quitting” Parliament, their duty. Leader of the House JP Nadda condemned the Opposition’s conduct, moving a “ninda prastav” (condemnation motion) over their behavior in the House.
In a lighter moment earlier, Jaya Bachchan had introduced herself as “Jaya Amitabh Bachchan,” leading to a playful exchange with Chairman Dhankhar. Bachchan had previously expressed discomfort with being addressed by her husband’s name, and this interaction sparked laughter and camaraderie among MPs, including Congress’ Jairam Ramesh and AAP’s Raghav Chadha.
Dhankhar humorously responded to Bachchan, saying, “I’ll tell you on a light-hearted note. I did not take a lunch break today, but I had lunch with Jairam Ji,” further adding, “I also want to tell you that this might be the first time that I am both yours and Amitabh Ji’s fan.”
This lighter exchange followed Bachchan’s earlier objection to being addressed as “Jaya Amitabh Bachchan” by Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh, where she had firmly stated, “Sir, only Jaya Bachchan would have sufficed,” voicing her concern about women being identified solely by their husbands’ names.
During that session, Bachchan had voiced her discontent, saying, “This is something new, that women will be recognized by the name of their husbands like they have no existence or achievements of their own.”
