Parliament: Sonia leads opposition walkout in support of Jaya Bachchan
Opposition parties, led by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha in support of Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan on Friday. They were reportedly protesting the repeated reference to her as "Jaya Amitabh Bachchan" in the Upper House. The Samajwadi Party—a key member of the Congress-led Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance—was instrumental in reducing the Bharatiya Janata Party's seats in Uttar Pradesh from 62 to 33.
Bachchan demands apology from Chair
Bachchan has repeatedly voiced her strong disapproval of being referred to as "Jaya Amitabh Bachchan." This afternoon, she reiterated her stance. Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar appeared irritated and responded, "Don't school me." However, Bachchan didn't budget, demanding an apology. "I need an apology from the Chair," she said, as protests against Dhankhar escalated and opposition MPs proceeded to walk out.
Bachchan's earlier objection
On Monday as well, Bachchan had also objected to Dhankhar, saying, "Sir, only Jaya Bachchan would have sufficed," and highlighting her discomfort with women being identified solely by their husbands' names as if "they don't have their own identity." She criticized the "new drama started by you all [referring to her political rivals, the Bharatiya Janata Party]," adding, "This did not happen before."
'Women recognized by names of husband...': What Jaya said
To recall, last month, Bachchan corrected Deputy Chairperson Harivansh Narayan Singh. When he addressed her as "Shrimati Jaya Amitabh Bachchan ji," she responded, "Sir, sirf Jaya Bachchan bolte to kaafi hojata [It would've been enough to call me Jaya Bachchan]." She added, "Women will be recognized by the names of their husbands. They have no existence or achievements of their own" after being informed that was the name recorded in Parliament.
