A deadlock in the Rajasthan assembly continues over BJP minister Avinash Gehlot’s remarks referring to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi as “your grandmother.” After chaotic protests led to the suspension of six MLAs, both government and Opposition initially agreed to apologize to each other, but disagreements over who should apologize first stalled proceedings. Rajasthan Congress President Govind Singh Dotasra demanded Gehlot apologize first, asserting that an apology from the ruling party is necessary before he would express regret. The assembly faced repeated adjournments due to ongoing tensions, with the Speaker urging both sides to resolve the matter for smooth functioning.
The issue of who will be the first to apologise has resulted in an ongoing deadlock in the Rajasthan assembly, triggered by BJP minister Avinash Gehlot’s comments referring to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi as “Dadi”. Following the chaos on Friday, both the government and the Opposition had indicated a willingness to apologise to one another, but disagreements over who should initiate the apologies stalled proceedings in the house on Monday.
During the weekend, both sides had reached an agreement to reinstate six suspended MLAs, but the matter of who would apologise first became a point of contention today.
The MLAs were suspended on Friday after a chaotic protest over minister Avinash Gehlot’s remark calling former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi “aapki dadi” (your grandmother).
On that same night, all six suspended MLAs — Rajasthan Congress President Govind Singh Dotasra, Deputy Leader of Opposition Ramkesh Meena, Amin Kagzi, Zakir Hussain Gesawat, Hakeem Ali Khan, and Sanjay Kumar Jatav — were observed sleeping inside the House.
When it came time to address the apologies, Mr. Dotasra – who had climbed onto the Speaker’s dais during the turmoil on Friday – seemingly made a superficial attempt. Instead of issuing a direct apology, he simply referred to the incident as “regrettable”.
The Speaker urged him to say, “I express regret.” However, Mr. Dotasra outright refused, insisting that Minister Avinash Gehlot should apologise first for his controversial statement.
“The minister’s remarks regarding Indira Gandhi ignited the controversy. If the ruling party expects us to express regret, then the minister must first apologise for his comments,” Mr. Dotasra contended.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel countered this, highlighting the prior agreement that the Opposition would apologise first, and accused Mr. Dotasra of going back on the agreement.
The Speaker’s frustration was palpable.
“I have provided numerous chances for reconciliation, yet the opposition remains inflexible. That’s enough—do as you wish,” declared Speaker Vasudev Devnani.
He implored both parties to take responsibility for resolving the situation and to allow the Assembly to function properly. However, with neither side willing to compromise, the stalemate persisted.
On Friday, the Assembly was thrown into turmoil due to the minister’s comments.
Responding to a question about hostels for working women, Mr. Gehlot, the Social Justice and Empowerment Minister, directed his remarks at the Opposition, stating, “Once again, in the 2023-24 budget, you have named the scheme (on working women’s hostels) after your ‘dadi’ (grandmother) Indira Gandhi.”
As Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully vehemently protested and insisted that the term be removed, Congress MLAs began shouting slogans and advanced towards the well of the House.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel defended the comment, asserting that there was nothing unparliamentary about the term ‘dadi’. Nonetheless, the Congress remained unconvinced, leading to the House being adjourned three times.