6 Congress MLAs suspended from Rajasthan assembly amid row over minister's ‘dadi’ remark

Ruckus erupted in the Rajasthan assembly on Friday over a remark by the state's social justice and empowerment minister Avinash Gehlot on former prime minister Indira Gandhi, leading to the suspension of six Congress MLAs for the remainder of the budget session.

“In the 2023-24 budget of also, like always, you named the scheme (on working women's hostels) after your 'dadi' (grandmother) Indira Gandhi,” PTI quoted Gehlot as saying during the Question Hour.

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According to the PTI report, Congress MLAs stormed to the well and raised slogans, demanding apology from the minister.

Rajasthan assembly's leader of opposition Tikaram Jully demanded that the "inappropriate word" be removed from the record. State Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasara demanded that the statement be expunged and the minister should apologise. He also tried to move close to the speaker during the protest, prompting the marshals to be called, the report added.

House adjourned thrice due to minister's remark

The proceedings of the House had to be adjourned thrice due to the uproar over the remark.

Several ministers and MLAs from the ruling BJP hit back at opposition leaders and gave loud counters to their charges.

Parliamentary affairs minister Jogaram Patel said there was nothing unparliamentary about the word 'dadi'.

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When Congress MLAs started entering the well, the House was adjourned for half an hour during the Question Hour. Later when the House proceedings resumed, Congress leaders continued sloganeering and the speaker announced the adjournment of the House till 2 pm.

At 2 pm, too, Congress members continued raising slogans at the well and in front of the chair. The proceedings were then adjourned till 4 pm.

When the house reassembled at 4 pm, government chief whip Jogeshwar Garg said that all limits were crossed by the opposition to express anger.

"The speed and intention with which they moved towards the chair and the incident of reaching close to the Speaker is definitely condemnable and not a pardonable crime," he said.

"Therefore, I request that as a result of the indecent and condemnable conduct of the opposition members in the House, the following members should be suspended for the remaining period of the current budget session... Govind Singh Dotasara, Ramkesh Meena, Amin Kagzi, Jakir Hussain, Hakim Ali and Sanjay Kumar," he said.

House adjourned till 11 am on February 24

The house passed the proposal by voice vote following which the speaker Vasudev Devnani adjourned the house until 11 am on February 24.

After the house was adjourned for the day, Congress MLAs began a dharna in the well of the house.

Earlier, Jully took to X terming it a "shameless" and "indecent" comment by a BJP minister on former prime minister Indira Gandhi.

Dotasra said on 'X', "Rajasthan will not tolerate the insult of Indira ji. BJP minister Avinash Gehlot who commented on former prime minister Indira Gandhi should apologise."

"Today, all our ministers were answering the questions effectively. The opposition got completely agitated. dada, dadi, mama, mami (grandfather, grandmother, uncle, aunty) -- these are not unparliamentary language, these are respectful words. "Mahatma Gandhi is called 'dada'. If former prime minister Indira Gandhi is called 'dadi', then I personally believe that it is not unparliamentary, it is a respectful word," state parliamentary affairs minister Patel was quoted by PTI as saying.