Apology Impasse: Rajasthan Assembly Paralysed Over Who Should Say Sorry First

Jaipur: The Rajasthan Assembly has been embroiled in a bitter dispute over who will apologise first, following BJP minister Avinash Gehlot's remarks about former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The controversy began on Friday when Gehlot referred to Indira Gandhi as “aapki dadi (your grandmother)”, sparking outrage among Congress MLAs. The state assembly has been witnessing a chaotic scene ever since Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Avinash Gehlot remarked while answering a question about hostels for working women. Following the statement, the Congress MLAs stormed the well, raised slogans, and demanded an apology from the minister.

Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully and Laxmangarh MLA Govind Singh Dotasara were among those who strongly objected to the remark, calling it "inappropriate" and demanding that it be removed from the record on Friday. The situation escalated to the point where marshals had to be called in to intervene. The chaos led to three adjournments of the House on Friday and ultimately resulted in the suspension of six Congress MLAs for the remainder of the budget session. 

Meanwhile, after a chaotic protest, both the government and the Opposition agreed to apologise to each other. However, the question of who will go first has stalled work in the House. Over the weekend, both sides had agreed to reinstate six suspended MLAs, but the dispute arose on Monday over who should apologise first. 

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Rajasthan Congress President Govind Singh Dotasra, who had climbed onto the Speaker's dais during Friday's ruckus, refused to apologise explicitly. Instead, he called the incident "regrettable". The Speaker insisted that he say "I express regret", but Dotasra flatly refused, demanding that Minister Avinash Gehlot first apologise for his controversial remarks.

Divide Deepened

Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel objected to Dotasra's refusal to apologise, citing the agreement that the Opposition would apologise first. The Speaker, Vasudev Devnani, expressed his exasperation, urging both parties to take responsibility for resolving the dispute and allow the Assembly to function smoothly.

What Led To Controversy

The controversy began on Friday when Minister Avinash Gehlot while answering a question regarding hostels for working women, referred to Indira Gandhi as “aapki dadi (your grandmother)”. LoP Tika Ram Jully strongly objected and demanded that the word be expunged, but Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel said there was nothing unparliamentary about the word 'dadi'.

On the other hand, former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that the BJP government does not want to run the assembly therefore such remarks are made.