The Lok Sabha experienced a tumultuous session on Wednesday as Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee made personal remarks regarding Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia’s family and appearance, sparking a significant uproar in the House. The confrontation occurred during a discussion on amendments to the Disaster Management Act, where Banerjee accused the central government of failing to cooperate during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Banerjee criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly taking undue credit for the efforts made by state governments during the pandemic. “We can only hear in Parliament that Modi ji did this, Modi ji did that. (Are humare state mein kaun kiya hai, aapke state mein kaun kiya hai?) Everywhere Modi ji doesn’t do everything. (Har jagah Modi ji aa ke thodi karte hain.) We do the work, but he (PM Modi) takes the credit. (Kaam hum log karte hain, credit woh (PM Modi) le lete hain.) Sir, unfortunately, for these expenses, the central government has not paid anything,” he stated.
In response, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai sharply criticized Banerjee, suggesting he was unaware of the central government’s efforts during the pandemic. “Maybe Kalyan Banerjee was sleeping during Covid when the central government, under the leadership of Narendra Modi, was benefitting the country. All over the world, vaccines were imported, including for all the states, but the West Bengal government was not giving traffic clearance to vaccine vehicles,” Rai remarked.
Scindia joined the debate, commending India’s response to the pandemic. “India emerged as a ‘Vishwa Bandhu’ during the pandemic and helped all the needy countries across the world,” he asserted. However, Banerjee’s subsequent personal remarks about Scindia’s family and appearance led to an uproar, with BJP MPs demanding action against the TMC MP.
Andhra Pradesh BJP president Daggubati Purandeswari condemned Banerjee’s repeated personal comments, particularly those directed at women in Parliament. “The repetitive comments that Kalyan Banerjee of TMC has been making against women in Parliament are very unbecoming. Even earlier, he had commented about women in the House, which is offensive. We have met the Speaker and Kiren Rijiju to request strict action against him,” Purandeswari stated.
Amid the chaos, Speaker Om Birla expunged Banerjee’s remarks and briefly adjourned the House. When the session resumed, Banerjee offered an apology for his comments, but Scindia refused to accept it. “Mr. Kalyan Banerjee rose in this House and said sorry. But I will say that we all come to this House with the spirit of contribution to the nation’s development…but we also come with a sense of self-respect. Any individual in their lives will not stand compromising with their self-respect. Attack us on our policies, on our views, but if you will get personal, certainly be prepared for the response,” the Union minister stated.
Scindia added, “He has apologised…I do not accept his apology for the personal attack that he had made on me and on the women of India.” Despite Banerjee’s repeated apologies, protests from the treasury benches continued. A Raja, who was presiding over the House, noted that the two had settled the matter between themselves. Additionally, women MPs from the Bharatiya Janata Party met Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju to lodge complaints against the TMC Lok Sabha MP.
