On Monday, Members of Parliament (MPs) from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) submitted a notice against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, alleging a “violation of parliamentary privilege, ethics, and decorum.”
The BJP MPs accused her of using “derogatory and defamatory language against the President of India,” claiming it aimed to undermine the integrity of the nation’s highest office.
In their communication to the Rajya Sabha chairman, the MPs expressed significant concern regarding the “unparliamentary, derogatory, and belittling comments” made by Smt. Member of Parliament from the Rajya Sabha about the Hon’ble President of India, which they believe require serious attention and disciplinary measures.
The MPs informed the chairman that such statements illustrate “the elitist and anti-tribal attitude” of Gandhi, whom they allege “fails to comprehend the struggles and sensitivities faced by impoverished tribal communities.”
“Considering the seriousness of this situation, we respectfully urge you to acknowledge this issue and initiate suitable disciplinary actions against Smt. Sonia Gandhi,” stated the letter from the MPs, as reported by news agency ANI.
What comments did Sonia Gandhi make?
Sonia Gandhi ignited controversy when she allegedly referred to President Mumu as a “poor thing” during the latter’s address to a joint session of Parliament on January 31.
According to ANI, Gandhi was quoted saying, “…By the end…She could hardly speak, poor thing…”
Many found her remarks ‘unacceptable’ and ‘completely avoidable’.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condemned the disparaging remarks aimed at the president, stating, “Droupadi Murmu ji hails from a tribal background. Her native language is not Hindi; it is Odia. She provided tremendous inspiration to Parliament today and delivered a commendable speech.”
“Yet, they have resorted to insulting her. A member of the royal family remarked that the speech given by the tribal daughter was tedious. Another individual went even further and called the President a poor thing. They perceive the words of a tribal daughter as dull,” PM Modi expressed.
