New Delhi: The Rajasthan Assembly became a battleground of political tensions following controversial comments made by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Minister Avinash Gehlot on Friday resulting in the suspension of 6 Congress MLAs. While discussing the budget allocations for women’s hostels, Gehlot took a jab at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, referring to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi as “aapki dadi” (your grandmother).
This remark sparked immediate outrage among Congress legislators, leading to uproarious protests and calls for an apology from Congress MLAs in the house. The suspended Congress MLAs have decided to spend the night in the well of the House in protest against the comments made by the BJP leader.
#WATCH | Jaipur, Rajasthan: Congress MLAs continue to protest inside the Rajasthan Assembly over the suspension of six Congress MLAs for the remainder of the ongoing Budget Session
Six Congress MLAs, including state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra, were suspended over… pic.twitter.com/QzniX6MgML
— ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) February 21, 2025
The atmosphere quickly escalated as Congress MLAs, incensed by the minister’s comments, stormed into the well of the House, chanting slogans against the BJP. Their demands for accountability were met with resistance from ruling party members, setting the stage for a chaotic series of events that resulted in the Assembly being adjourned three times suspending six Congress MLAs.
As tensions rose, Congress MLA and state party president Govind Singh Dotasara confronted the Assembly Secretary’s table, demanding that Gehlot retract his statement. The situation grew increasingly volatile, with marshals intervening to maintain order. In response to the escalating protests, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel defended Gehlot’s remarks, asserting that the term “dadi” was not offensive.
The Assembly’s proceedings were disrupted repeatedly, leading to a proposal from government chief whip Jogeshwar Garg to suspend six Congress MLAs for the remainder of the Budget session. The motion passed via a voice vote, resulting in Dotasara and five others being expelled. Following their suspension, the affected MLAs chose to remain in the well of the House overnight, with arrangements made for their bedding and meals.
“The speed and intention with which they moved towards the chair and the incident of reaching close to the Speaker is definitely condemnable and not a pardonable crime. Therefore, I request that as a result of the indecent and condemnable conduct of the opposition members in the House, the following members should be suspended for the remaining period of the current budget session… Govind Singh Dotasara, Ramkesh Meena, Amin Kagzi, Jakir Hussain, Hakim Ali and Sanjay Kumar,” Patel was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
In the aftermath of the uproar, Leader of the Opposition Tika Ram Jully condemned the minister’s comments as “indecent,” accusing the BJP of attempting to stifle dissent within the Assembly. He expressed his discontent on social media, emphasizing that such actions reflect a dictatorial approach aimed at suppressing opposition voices.
“Minister Shri Avinash Gehlot made indecent comments about respected leader Indira Gandhi ji, who sacrificed her life for the country, but our MLAs were suspended. This shows that the BJP only wants to work with a dictatorial attitude. Not allowing the Leader of Opposition to deliver his speech on the Governor’s address and now suspending 6 MLAs, including the state (Congress) president, is the result of the BJP’s thinking of suppressing the voice of the Opposition,” he wrote in Hindi.
Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot echoed these sentiments, criticizing the ruling BJP for diverting attention from its failures through such tactics. He lamented that similar methods employed in the national Parliament were now infiltrating state politics, undermining democratic discourse.
“First, a minister of the BJP government made an indecent comment on former Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi and then suspended the Congress MLAs from the House who protested against not apologising for it. This shows that the method in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha is being adopted in the Rajasthan Assembly as well. Just like MPs are suspended there to hide their failures, the same has been done here,” Gehlot wrote on his X account in Hindi.
“The government had no work to show in the last one year, so the Leader of opposition was not allowed to give a speech highlighting its failures during the address. Now our state president and MLAs from Dalit, backward, tribal and minority communities have been suspended from the Budget session. Is this not an attempt to divert attention from the discussion on the Budget,” he asked.
