A day after 'Rashtrapatni' remark row, Congress MPs hold a meeting in Parliament

New Delhi: Lok Sabha MPs of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) are meeting in Parliament House on Friday. This came a day after the row over the Congress Lok Sabha MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury's "Rashtrapatni’s" remark. 

Meanwhile, party MP K Suresh moved adjournment motion notice in Lok Sabha over "shocking attempt by BJP MPs including Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani to threaten and intimidate senior MP and Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi Ji is an assault of all constitutional values and blatant violation of parliamentary courtesies and dignity.

"Chowdhury’s "rashtrapatni" remarks about President Droupadi Murmu led to a political storm with Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha facing disruptions. In the Lok Sabha, Union Minister Smriti Irani hit out at Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury for referring President Murmu as "rashtrapatni" and sought an apology.

She also attacked Sonia Gandhi over Chowdhury’s remarks alleging that the Congress leader "sanctioned the humiliation" of President Murmu. In Rajya Sabha, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman demanded an apology from Sonia Gandhi. Three more opposition members were suspended from Rajya Sabha on Thursday for "unruly behaviour". Smriti Irani alleged that Congress workers and leaders "continue to demean the Office of the President of India".

"Sonia Gandhi, you sanctioned the humiliation of Droupadi Murmu. Sonia Ji sanctioned the humiliation of a woman in the highest constitutional post. Sonia Ji sanctioned the humiliation of a poor woman who ascends to the highest Office in this country. You sanctioned the insult of every Indian citizen. You through your male Congress workers and leaders continue to demean the Office of the President of India. Apologies to the nation. Sonia Gandhi apologies to the tribal, poor and woman of the country," she said. 

BJP women MPs have filed a complaint with the Lok Sabha Speaker against Sonia Gandhi. Nirmala Sitharaman later told ANI that some BJP MPs in Lok Sabha "felt threatened when Sonia Gandhi came up to our senior leader Rama Devi to find out what was happening during which, one of our members approached there and she (Sonia Gandhi) said you don’t talk to me, putting the member down in the House". "So instead of remorse, from the highest leader of the Congress party, we find greater and greater aggression," Sitharaman said. 

The union minister said that "in every way, Congress party has been attempting to undermine a tribal. Self-made, successful leader. We, from the BJP demand, the Congress party apologise to the nation".

However, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary told the media that he had mistakenly used the term "rashtrapatni" and alleged that the ruling party was deliberately trying to make a mountain out of a molehill.