Veteran actor and politician Jaya Bachchan expressed her displeasure after Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh addressed her using her husband’s name during a session. “Shrimati Jaya Amitabh Bachchan ji, please,” said Mr. Singh, calling upon her to speak in the House.
Watch: “It’s a very painful incident and we should not bring politics into the matter,” says Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan on the death of the UPSC student in Old Rajinder Nagar pic.twitter.com/4928QcZoNS
— IANS (@ians_india) July 29, 2024
Ms. Bachchan responded, “Sir, sirf Jaya Bachchan bolte to kaafi hojata (It would’ve been enough to call me Jaya Bachchan).” Mr. Singh then clarified that her name is officially registered as Jaya Amitabh Bachchan in Parliament’s records. “Your full name was written here, I just repeated the same,” he explained.
Ms. Bachchan retorted, “This is something new, that women will be recognised by the name of their husbands. They (women) have no existence or achievements of their own.”
Following this exchange, Ms. Bachchan addressed the tragic deaths of three UPSC aspirants at a coaching center in Delhi. “It’s a very painful incident and we should not bring politics into the matter,” she stated.
Last week, three students drowned in the flooded basement of a coaching center in east Delhi, sparking protests by students who blamed civic negligence for the incident. The tragedy has also led to a political blame game, with the BJP targeting the Aam Aadmi Party, which governs Delhi and controls the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).