Opposition parties – led by Congress stalwart Sonia Gandhi – walked out of the Rajya Sabha on Friday afternoon in a powerful show support for Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan, as she protested a recurrence of the ‘Jaya Amitabh Bachchan’ row in the Upper House.

Twice in this Parliamentary session Ms Bachchan, a noted actor married to fellow cinematic star Amitabh Bachchan, has been introduced in Parliament as ‘Jaya Amitabh Bachchan‘.

Ms Bachchan has expressed her strong disapproval of this practice.

Speaking to reporters after today’s walk-out, she said, “It was a humiliating experience…” and criticised the treatment of opposition MPs, contrasting it with the latitude given to those from the ruling BJP.

“Whatever is said from the Chair… is allowed. Outside the Chair, the individual is like us.. an MP. I objected to the tone used by the Chair. We are not school children and some of us are even senior citizens. I was upset with the tone… especially when the Leader of the Opposition (Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge) stood up to speak he (the Chair) switched the mike off…” she said.

“And, on top of that, every time words that are unparliamentary are used… like ‘nuisance’, like ‘you may be a celebrity but I don’t care’. I am not asking him to care! Nobody has ever spoken the way they do now in Parliament. What is the problem? It is so disrespectful to women,” she said firmly.

This afternoon, faced with a repeat of the ‘Jaya Amitabh Bachchan’ call-out, Ms Bachchan again objected. However, Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar responded “Don’t school me.”

Ms Bachchan, though, stood firm and demanded an apology. “I need an apology from the Chair,” she said as protests mounted against Mr Dhankhar and the opposition MPs walked out.

Opposition MPs – led by Sonia Gandhi and the Trinamool Congress’ Derek O’Brien – gathered outside Parliament, flanking Ms Bachchan in a significant statement, and several later spoke on her behalf.

Congress comms chief Jairam Ramesh told reporters opposition MPs had been repeatedly insulted in Parliament and denied a chance to speak. Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Priyanka Chaturvedi pointed out Ms Bachchan has “vast parliamentary experience… more than the Vice President”, while her Trinamool Congress colleague, Dola Sen, said Ms Bachchan is a four-time MP and deserves respect.

#WATCH | Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi says, “She (Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan) comes with vast more experience than the Vice President himself. He cannot disrespect the Member of Parliament.” pic.twitter.com/N06Ryf7R7S

— ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2024

Opposition MPs’ walk-out triggered a furious reaction from BJP chief and Rajya Sabha MP JP Nadda, who called the protest “indecent and irresponsible” behaviour. “The opposition wants to weaken the country (and should) apologise,” he declared in the (by now largely empty) House.

“It is clear that their standards have fallen in politics… from opposing a party and individual, now they are opposing the country. They want to divide the country,” he claimed.

Mr Nadda wasn’t the only BJP leader to hit out at the opposition. Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan declared “I have never seen such unruly, indecent behavior of the opposition”.

“Today the mind is distressed…filled with pain. This is not only an insult to the Chair, it is an insult to the democratic values ​​of the country. It is an insult to democracy… it is an insult to the Constitution.”

“Today it has been proved that the irresponsible opposition is trying to push the country into anarchy. The opposition should apologise.. has shamed the House and country,” he claimed.

Mr Dhankhar later adjourned proceedings till 2 pm.

On Monday too Ms Bachchan had objected to Mr Dhankhar, saying, “Sir, only Jaya Bachchan would have sufficed”, and stressing her unease about women being identified only by their husband’s names as if “they don’t have their own identity”.

READ | “New Drama”: Jaya Bachchan Objects To “Amitabh” In Name, Again

Ms Bachchan had then criticised the “new drama started by you all (referring to her political rivals, the Bharatiya Janata Party)”. “This did not happen before,” she said.

READ | After Outburst Over “Jaya Amitabh Bachchan”, Actor’s Fun Turn

Last month she corrected Deputy Chairperson Harivansh Narayan Singh.

WATCH | Jaya Bachchan Irked After Being Addressed As ‘Jaya Amitabh Bachchan’

“Shrimati Jaya Amitabh Bachchanji, please,” he had said, inviting her to speak. “Sir, sirf Jaya Bachchan bolte to kaafi hojata (It would’ve been enough to call me Jaya Bachchan),” she said, adding,”… women will be recognised by the names of their husbands. They have no existence or achievements of their own” when told that was the name registered in Parliament records.

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Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia – arrested by the CBI in February last year in the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam, and again by the Enforcement Directorate 12 days later – secured bail from the Supreme Court Friday after spending nearly 18 months in jail without a trial.

In a powerful verdict the top court questioned the trial court and Delhi High Court’s rejection of Mr Sisodia’s bail pleas, and said the ex-Deputy Chief Minister could not languish in jail sans that trial.

The Supreme Court’s ruling has been hailed by Mr Sisodia’s AAP – as the “victory of truth” – and by party colleagues and political allies. AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha declared on X, “the entire country is happy today as Manish Sisodia, hero of Delhi education revolution, got bail.”

READ | “Travesty Of Justice”: Sisodia Gets Bail, Supreme Court Slams Delay

Another of Mr Sisodia’s colleagues, Atishi, expressed joy and also said Arvind Kejriwal – AAP boss and Chief Minister, jailed since March in the same case – “will also come out”.

Atishi heads Delhi’s Education Ministry after Manish Sisodia resigned post his arrest.

READ | “Sisodia Kept In Jail For 530 Days. His Crime Was…”: Raghav Chadha

“Manish Sisodia has been granted bail today after being in jail for 17 months. This is the victory of truth. He was implicated in a false case… and now we are waiting… Delhi’s popular Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will also come out. This is the victory of the people of Delhi…”

The AAP’s Sanjay Singh, the third of its senior leaders to have been arrested over the alleged liquor policy scam, called Manish Sisodia’s release “a slap on the Centre’s dictatorship”.

Mr Singh was released on bail, by the top court, in April after six months in jail.

BJP’s “Don’t Be Too Happy” Warning

The opposition BJP, meanwhile, which has been fierce in targeting Mr Kejriwal and the AAP on this issue, including demanding the Chief Minister resign on moral grounds, has reacted strongly.

“Manish Sisodia has got bail in the liquor policy scam case. The BJP always respects court’s decision… but getting bail for an accused does not mean being free from the charges,” the saffron party’s Delhi unit boss, Virendra Sachdeva, said, “Investigations are going on… court will see the evidence.”

#WATCH | On Supreme Court granted bail to AAP leader Manish Sisodia, Delhi BJP President Virendraa Sachdeva says, “Getting bail does not mean that someone is not guilty. Manish Sisodia has got bail but the investigation is still on and the BJP has always respected the court’s… pic.twitter.com/qtmea7H7oG

— ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2024

“Be it Arvind Kejriwal or Manish Sisodia or others… all of them have brokered the liquor policy scam and this decision will be in front of everyone in the ‘court of the people’,” he declared.

Party MP Yogendra Chandolia told NDTV the AAP shouldn’t get carried away.

“Look… this comes under the jurisdiction of the court, whether they grant bail or not. He was in jail for 17-18 months and was continuously trying… now on what terms and conditions he got bail will be known later. I would just like to say to AAP don’t be too happy. Bail is just a relief… it is relief for a short time. The case will go on in the court… the agency has evidence,” he said.

Mr Chandolia also slammed the AAP, which has defeated the BJP in two consecutive Delhi Assembly elections and is hoping to claim a hat-trick next year, of “lying” for political gain.

Top Court Slams Lower Courts Over Sisodia

In releasing Mr Sisodia, the court also made critical observations on the federal agencies’, one example of which was Justice Gavai saying, “In this case 493 witnesses (were) named (and) there is not remotest possibility that Manish Sisodia’s trial will conclude in (the near) future.”

On that note, during the hearing, the court asked Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, who represented the agencies, “Realistically tell us… where do you see the end of the tunnel?”

READ | “Like Snakes And Ladders”: Why Court Granted Bail To Sisodia

Mr Raju had earlier argued the delay was due to multiple applications filed by Mr Sisodia and others, seeking inspection of documents unrelated to charges filed in May last year.

On the question of Mr Sisodia allegedly tampering with evidence, the court pointed out “most evidence is documentary” and that these documents were already with the probe agencies.

The court finally ruled that Manish Sisodia could not be made to run “from pillar to post” to secure bail.

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