Uproar in Lok Sabha over 'Rashtrapatni' remark; BJP says Sonia Gandhi used 'threatening tone' with Smriti Irani, Congress counter-claims

New Delhi: Angry exchanges were witnessed between BJP and Congress MPs in Lok Sabha on Thursday as the opposition party alleged that the ruling party MPs misbehaved with their party president Sonia Gandhi.

As the House reconvened after adjournment at noon, the BJP cornered Congress over party leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury's comments against President Droupadi Murmu, which led to disruption in the Lower House.

The House witnessed its first adjournment minutes after meeting at 11 am, and when it met again at 12 noon, the House was again adjourned within two minutes, to meet again at 4 pm.

As the House was adjourned and MPs were leaving, Sonia Gandhi approached the treasury benches to talk to senior BJP leader Rama Devi, said Congress MP Jyotsna Mahant who was present at the scene.

Congress MPs said the Congress chief was trying to reach out to the ruling party leaders over the issue that was being raised.

Mahant alleged that Union Minister Smriti Irani intervened as Sonai Gandhi was trying to talk to the Rama Devi, and soon other BJP MPs started raising fingers at her, creating a ruckus.

As several ruling party MPs came towards the Congress President, Mahant and her party colleague MP Geeta Kora and NCP's Supriya Sule along with some other women MPs escorted the 75-year-old Congress leader out, said Mahant.

"It was very disrespectful the way BJP MPs pointed fingers at our party President. She could also have been physically hurt," Mahant told UNI.

A BJP MP meanwhile told UNI that Irani went to Sonia Gandhi when she approached Rama Devi, but the Congress President said she would not talk to her.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said many MPs felt "threatened" as Sonia Gandhi approached the treasury benches.

"I am saying it before you, I did not imagine there would be a situation for me to say this... many MPs felt threatened as Sonia Gandhi came to one of our very senior members Rama Devi ji to find out... and one of our members approached her, and she said you don't talk to me... putting the Member of Parliament down in the House," said Sitharaman.

Congress MPs also slammed the BJP for disrespecting Sonia Gandhi, even as they raised the issue of disrespectful behaviour towards women by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in the Murmu case, and demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"They are talking about the comments against the President, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has apologised for it... at the same time they are insulting a woman leader... Prime Minister Modi should apologise on behalf of the MPs," Kora said.

Eyewitnesses said MPs of both parties, senior leaders, including Parliamentary Affairs Ministers Prahlad Joshi, engaged in a war of words.

Irani had raised the issue of Chowdhury referring to the President as 'Rashtrapatni', and called for an apology from the Congress President over the remark. Chowdhury has issued an apology, saying it was a slip of tongue and mistake made on Wednesday during a protest march in the capital. (UNI)