Lagatar24 Desk
Jaipur: Protesting against the suspension of six Congress MLAs over the ‘Dadi’ remark row, Congress leaders staged a sleep-in protest inside the Rajasthan Assembly on Friday night.
Suspended MLAs Govind Singh Dotasra, Ramkesh Meena, Amin Kagzi, Zakir Hussain Gesawat, Hakeem Ali Khan, and Sanjay Kumar Jatav were seen spending the night on the assembly floor, refusing to leave after being barred from the House.
What Led to the Suspension?
The controversy erupted when Social Justice Minister Avinash Gehlot referred to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi as ‘Aapki Dadi’ (your grandmother) while responding to a question about a scheme for working women’s hostels. The comment triggered outrage from the Congress, leading to sloganeering and protests inside the House.
Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully demanded the removal of the remark from records, calling it inappropriate. However, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel defended the phrase, stating that it was not unparliamentary.
Assembly Chaos and MLAs’ Suspension
The uproar led to multiple adjournments of the House throughout the day. Later, Chief Whip Jogeshwar Garg moved a motion to suspend six Congress MLAs for the remainder of the budget session, accusing them of disrupting proceedings and approaching the Speaker aggressively.
Reacting to the suspension, Jully accused the BJP of suppressing opposition voices. He stated, “A minister made indecent remarks about Indira Gandhi, yet our MLAs were suspended. This exposes BJP’s dictatorial mindset.”
Ashok Gehlot and Congress Attack BJP
Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot slammed the Bhajan Lal Sharma-led BJP government, claiming that it was trying to suppress dissent and hide its failures.
“First, a BJP minister made an indecent remark about Indira Gandhi. When Congress MLAs demanded an apology, they were suspended instead. The same tactics used in Parliament to silence opposition are now being applied in the Rajasthan Assembly,” Gehlot wrote on X.
He further alleged that the BJP government has no significant work to show and is deliberately avoiding discussions on the Budget by silencing Dalit, backward, tribal, and minority MLAs.
Congress Announces Statewide Protest
Condemning the suspensions, Congress has announced statewide protests on Saturday against the BJP government’s actions.
