Prime Minister Narendra Modi faced considerable heckling from the members of the opposition inside the parliament on Wednesday, when he got up to speak inside the parliament. Leading the protest was the Congress party, which wanted Modi to speak about Rafale scam, exposed by Janta Ka Reporter.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu too was seen losing his temper on several occasions while attempting to persuade the opposition MPs. Among those who repeatedly heckled the prime minister was the Congress MP, Renuka Chowdhury. Her loud laughter to Modi’s speech left the prime minister incredibly rattled as he struggled to continue with his speech. It was at this juncture, when Naidu intervened and admonished the Congress MP like a pupil in a classroom and also questioned her mental stability.
Looking towards Chowdhury, Naidu asked, “What happened to you? If you have some problem, go to a doctor.”
Modi, for his part, asked Naidu not to take note of Chowdhury’s laughter. He told Naidu, “Mr Chairman, I request you to not admonish Renuka Chowdhury since this is the first time I’ve had the privilege to hear such laughter since Ramayana serail (on TV).”
Shurpanakha is a famous woman character from Ramayana and was known for her loud and annoying laughter just like her brother Ravana.
Modi comparing the woman Congress MP to a demon character from Ramayana became a topic of intense social media conversations with the Congress registering its official protest while also accusing Naidu of functioning in ‘a partisan manner.’
It said, “We condemn PM Modi’s derogatory remark in the Parliament against former Union Minister and RS MP Renuka Chowdhury. We also urge the RS Speaker Shri Venkaiah Naidu to not act in a partisan manner and accord due respect to a fellow member of the house.”
Modi’s remarks led to a huge laughter by all BJP members in the parliament.
If the perceived misogyny by Modi and Naidu wasn’t enough, union minister, Kiren Rijiju, posted a video which begins with the evil laughter of Shurpanakha. As expected Rijiju was slammed for publicly denigrating a woman MP. An angry Chowdhury said that she condemned the video posted by Kiren Rijiju adding that ‘it is disrespectful against women, especially as he is MoS Home. I will move a privilege on this issue.’
Rijiju later removed that video and posted a new video, which did not have the clip of Shurpanakha from Ramayana.
So This is the Legendary scene of Ramayana which PM Modi recalled after Renuka Chaudhary’s laughter in Rajya Sabha ??? pic.twitter.com/9JIDrOSNED
— Dhaval Patel (@dhaval241086) February 7, 2018
Meanwhile, condemnation has poured in for Modi, Naidu and Rijiju for their perceived misogyny against Chowdhury. Here are some reactions;
भारत के लोकतान्त्रीक मन्दीर मे निर्लजता की तस्वीर !
इसी तरह की एक गूंज ठहाकों की उठी थी धृतराष्ट्र की सभा में ! pic.twitter.com/ZBf54x2vT8— वैरागी बावरा (@bavra_vairagi) February 8, 2018
🙂 Left: she asks how someone knows #Modi was equating #RenukaChowdhury with #Shoorpanakha. Right: she calls Renuka Chowdhury #Congress‘ “in-house Shoorpanakha”. Is more than one person tweeting from this #BJP troll account? #ThursdayThoughts pic.twitter.com/YTaFK6KVQP
— Anna MM Vetticad (@annavetticad) February 8, 2018
Troll Minister was once addressed as Dear Minister and she took massive offense to the use of dear, now she comes and defends the PMs statement calling other woman names. Duplicity and hypocrisy of the BJP doesn’t surprise anyone anymore.
— Priyanka Chaturvedi (@priyankac19) February 8, 2018
लाल किले से बात करेंगे महिला सम्मान,
अहंकार से भरे करेंगे महिला का अपमान।
एक हंसी से इतना खौफ?— Priyanka Chaturvedi (@priyankac19) February 8, 2018
So.. while Modi was busy shredding Renuka Chaudhary with razor sharp humour in the parliament, Jashodhaben was in the hospital.
— Sumit Kashyap (@sumitkashyapjha) February 7, 2018
Modi’s sexist remark at MP Renuka Chaudhary in the Rajya Sabha shows why the Govt is not willing to pass the Women’s Reservation Bill. He is SCARED & TERRIFIED of women.
Just like Ravana was !! Therefore he could only think of demeaning the women.
— Gaurav Pandhi (@GauravPandhi) February 7, 2018
Women on my tl: Wasn’t Modi’s remark about renuka’s laughter grossly sexist and another manifestation of women shouldn’t laugh loudly? Yes? No?
— S (@vakeel_saheba) February 8, 2018
PM Modi’s comment against Renuka Chaudhury, Member of Parliament must be the lowest moment made by any Prime Minister in the history of Parliament. @INCIndia
— Gaurav Gogoi (@GauravGogoiAsm) February 8, 2018
She should have been physically thrown out of parliament by the Marshall’s.