‘Every day, I don’t want to do schooling’: In RS, Jagdeep Dhankhar hits back at Jaya Bachchan for ‘tone is not right’ remark

On Friday, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh asked how the Chair had ruled over the matter and asked Dhankhar for clarity on the matter. Dhankhar responded, “Mallikarjun Kharge and Ghanshyam Tiwari accepted my invitation and we had an in-depth discussion. We found that Tiwari had appreciated Kharge, and he was ready to apologise in House.”

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Dhankhar kept reiterating that Tiwari was only “praising” Kharge in Sanskrit and meant no disrespect. To this, the Opposition MPs erupted in disagreement, alleging that the Chair was siding with Tiwari. While Congress MPs demanded an apology from Tiwari, the Chair stressed that the issue was resolved in private with the concerned members of the House.

Dhankhar later asked Bachchan to speak on this matter as last member speaking on this point. “I am an artist. I understand body language and expressions. But your tone is not right. We are your colleagues, but your tone is unacceptable,” Bachchan said.

Amid the chaos in the Upper House, Dhankhar hit back sharply, “Jaya ji you have earned a great reputation. You know an actor is subject to the director. But every day, I do not want to repeat myself. Every day, I don’t want to do schooling. You are talking about my tone? Enough of it. You may be anybody. You have to understand the decorum. You can be a celebrity but accept decorum.”

Dhankhar asked the Opposition MPs to stop protesting and take their places but to no avail. “Never carry an impression that only you build reputations. We come here with reputations. We live up to reputations,” he said.

Other Opposition members asked the Rajya Sabha chairperson how he could call Bachchan a celebrity and that she was a senior Member of Parliament. He responded, “A senior member of the Parliament has a licence to run down the reputation of the chair…To question the tone and tenor… I have to be in reaction mode to take care of the situation. I have highest respect but to make it a habit…my tone, my language, my temper, I don’t go by the script of others. I have my own script. I am not operated by anyone else.”

Opposition MPs led by Congress veteran Sonia Gandhi staged a walkout even as Dhankhar spoke.

“I know you want to destabilise the entire nation. You are out to create chaos in the House. I shall not be party to this House being converted, Mr Kharge, as an epicentre of disturbance. You are determined to have your way at the cost of the Constitution. You are doing it. It is a lack of decorum, disrespect to democracy, disrespect to the Constitution. You are walking away from your obligations. You are walking away from your duty. Honourable members, they don’t want to participate. They know how to create only chaos,” Dhankhar said.

Later, Union Minister J P Nadda, also the Leader of the House of Rajya Sabha, moved a censure motion against Bachchan over her remarks targeting Dhankhar.

Earlier on Monday, Bachchan had an exchange with Dhankhar over the inclusion of her husband’s name, “Amitabh”, when she was called upon by the Chair. “Sir, I hope you know the meaning of Amitabh. I mean, I am proud of the association with my marriage and my husband and of his achievements. But this is a new drama started by you all. This did not use to happen before,” she had said.

Dhankhar, meanwhile, had told the Samajwadi Party MP that the Chair only uses the name which appears on the election certificate and that she could get it changed if she wanted to.