Dhankhar-Jaya face-off: Oppn must apologise, says Scindia

Gwalior, August 11

Referring to a spat between Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice-President Jagdish Dhankhar and Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan, Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia on Sunday said the Opposition must apologise to the VP.

Dhankhar and Jaya Bachchan had locked horns on Friday after the actor-politician accused him of speaking to her in an unacceptable tone in the Upper House, inviting an angry retort that he could not be schooled. Dhankhar also said even a celebrity had to follow the House’s decorum. The Opposition had then walked out, stating it was a matter of “disrespect to democracy and Constitution”.

Responding to a question here regarding the face-off, Scindia said the way the Rajya Sabha chairman had been treated was very sad. “He is not only the Speaker of the House but also the Vice-President of the country. Every person in the Opposition should apologise for this behaviour. This is not an insult of the Speaker of the House and the VP, but of the Constitution and our Tricolour,” he said.

Scindia said people of the country understood everything about the noise and insults in the House. The public taught them a lesson in 2014, 2019 and now in 2024, and would teach them in the coming times as well, he said.

The angry exchange hours before the Upper House was adjourned sine die on Friday added to the strain between Dhankhar and the INDIA bloc parties, with sources saying the Opposition is considering submitting a notice for moving a resolution to remove the VP from his office.

Regarding the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga Abhiyan’ ahead of Independence Day, the Union minister called it the biggest campaign of democracy, where every citizen of India would hoist the Tricolour at home.

He said 1.64 lakh post offices of the Postal Department were working hard to deliver the Tricolour across the country. — PTI

An insult to constitution

He is not only the Speaker of the House but also the Vice-President of the country. Every person in the Opposition should apologise for this behaviour. This is not an insult of the Speaker of the House and the VP, but the Constitution and our Tricolour. — Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minister of Communications