IANS/New Delhi
Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti yesterday expressed regret in parliament for using abusive language at a Bharatiya Janata Party rally in New Delhi.
The government said the matter was closed with her expressing regret, but Congress members indicated they intended to press the issue in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house, today.
Addressing a meeting of the BJP parliamentary board, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked party MPs to be cautious when making comments in public.
Jyoti read out near identical statements in the lower house Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha after opposition parties ganged up against her and demanded that she be sacked.
The minister’s comments at a public meeting created an uproar in both houses.
While the uproar in the lower house settled after Jyoti offered to apologise, members in the Rajya Sabha refused to back down, and demanded that she be sacked.
In both houses, opposition members were on their feet as soon as proceedings began at 11am, protesting the comments of the minister, who was elected to the Lok Sabha from Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh.
Jyoti, who was inducted into the council of ministers last month, has listed “intermediate” as her educational qualification and “social worker” as her profession on the Lok Sabha website. Born into the “nishad” caste, she was earlier a BJP legislator from Hamirpur in Uttar Pradesh.
In the Rajya Sabha, where the government is in a minority, the session was lost to noisy protests, and it was finally adjourned for the day around 2.30pm without transacting any business.
Taking the opportunity to corner the government, opposition members also slammed Modi for not coming to parliament.
“The minister has abused the people of India,” thundered Congress leader Ashwani Kumar.
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati said the minister must resign.
Under all-round attack, the minister said in the Rajya Sabha: “I regret if my words hurt anyone’s feelings. I am ready to apologise if the members want.”
But the opposition was not satisfied, with members from the Congress, Samajwadi Party, BSP and the Left Front uniting against the minister.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury said Jyoti did not tender an apology.
“The statement is so outrageous, she should not continue,” Yechury said, and demanded that a police complaint be filed against the minister.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley appealed for calm in the Rajya Sabha and said the minister expressed regret and even apologised.
“When the offence is made outside the house, the law will take its course. Anything happening outside is not the business of this house,” he said.
In the Lok Sabha too, Jyoti said: “I didn’t have any ill intention. But whatever words I spoke, I express my deep regret and I accept what I said.”
Following the statement, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan cautioned members to be mindful of their speech.
Jyoti later said there was no need for her to resign. “I have apologised, the matter should end now. What else can I do? There is no need for me to resign.”
