A tense exchange in the Rajya Sabha between actor-politician Jaya Bachchan and Chair Jagdeep Dhankhar escalated on Friday, marking their second confrontation during the ongoing Budget Session. The argument, which began over Dhankhar’s comments on an earlier exchange between BJP MP Ghanshyam Tiwari and Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, led to a walkout by Opposition MPs.
Jaya Bachchan, a Samajwadi Party MP, objected to the tone used by Dhankhar in his remarks, particularly regarding a July 31 interaction between Tiwari and Kharge, where Kharge requested that certain remarks be removed from the records. Responding to Congress MP Jairam Ramesh’s inquiry on the matter, Dhankhar explained that he had mediated between Kharge and Tiwari, and Tiwari had been willing to apologize, emphasizing that his comments in Sanskrit were meant to praise Kharge, not insult him.
However, Opposition MPs expressed their disapproval, accusing the Chair of siding with Tiwari. In response, Dhankhar stated, “I don’t want schooling… You may be anybody. You may be a celebrity, but you have to understand the decorum… Does a senior MP have the license to run down the reputation of the Chair?”
The situation intensified when Jaya Bachchan expressed her displeasure with Dhankhar’s tone, saying, “We are your colleagues, but your tone is unacceptable.” The altercation culminated in a walkout by Opposition MPs led by Sonia Gandhi. Bachchan later told the media that she was upset by the Chair’s tone and the apparent dismissal of the Leader of the Opposition’s speech by turning off his microphone.
Meanwhile, members of the Treasury Benches defended Dhankhar, with Leader of the House J.P. Nadda condemning the Opposition’s behavior as “unparliamentary” and demanding an apology.
Earlier in the week, Bachchan had also confronted Dhankhar after he referred to her as “Jaya Amitabh Bachchan,” to which she responded that she was proud of her husband but objected to the use of his name in official proceedings.
