Opposition leaders, led by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, walked out of the Rajya Sabha on August 9 after MP Jaya Bachchan took objection to Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar's 'tone' while speaking. A dispute erupted in the Parliament after the Samajwadi Party member pointed out that Dhankar's "tone (while addressing certain lawmakers) is not acceptable," to which he replied, "You may be a celebrity (but) you have to understand the decorum..." After the walkout, Bachchan spoke to the media saying she felt "humiliated" after the interaction.
Here are 5 key details about this clash
Alleged Derogatory Remarks By Chairman
The opposition walked out of the Rajya Sabha on the final day of the Parliament's budget session after Jagdeep Dhankhar allegedly made derogatory remarks against Leader of Opposition, Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge by BJP MP Ghanshyam Tiwari. Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan criticised the Rajya Sabha Chairman's "tone" and "body language" while addressing opposition leaders.
Jaya Bachchan's Ongoing Dispute With Chairman
Recently, Jaya Bachchan also objected to being addressed with her husband's name in the Parliament. On July 29, when Dhankhar called her 'Jaya Amitabh Bachchan', she responded, "Just Jaya Bachchan would have sufficed." She sarcastically added, "...women are recognised by the names of their husbands. They have no existence or achievements of their own."
Argument Erupts
During the recent Upper House session, Jaya Bachchan hauntingly said, "I, Jaya Amitabh Bachchan, want to say, I am an artist. I understand body language and expressions. Forgive me but your tone is not acceptable. We are colleagues, Sir. You may be sitting in the Chair, and I remember when I went to school ..."
Before she could complete the sentence, Dhankhar retaliated, "Take your seat. Jaya ji, you have earned a great reputation. (But) you know the actor is subject to the director... I don't want a schooling. No... no... enough of this... You may be anybody, you may be a celebrity, but you have to understand decorum..."
Opposition Leaders Side With Bachchan
A heated argument was triggered in the Parliament after Dhankhar hit back at Jaya Bachchan. An Opposition member objected to the Chairman calling the senior Rajya Sabha member a 'celebrity', to which he retorted, "(Does) a senior member of Parliament have a licence to run down the reputation of the Chair ... to question the tone and tenor?" He then went on to say that he cannot be a party to the House being converted into an "epicentre of disturbance".
Opposition Walks Out, Jaya Bachchan Protests Chairman's Tone
The members of the Opposition boycotted the Rajya Sabha session following the debate. Jaya Bachchan told the media, "Whatever is said from the Chair... is allowed. Outside the Chair, the individual is like us.. an MP. I objected to the tone used by the Chair. We are not school children and some of us are even senior citizens. I was upset with the tone... especially when the Leader of the Opposition stood up to speak he (the Chair) switched the mike off..."
Bachchan further added, "And, on top of that, every time words that are unparliamentary are used... like 'nuisance', like 'you may be a celebrity but I don't care'. I am not asking him to care! Nobody has ever spoken the way they do now in Parliament. What is the problem? It is so disrespectful to women." She also demanded a formal apology from the Chairman.
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