BJP seeks apology from Adhir Ranjan Chowdury in LS, Cong members raise onion prices

Lok Sabha on Tuesday witnessed an uproar after question hour with Congress members raising the issue of the steep rise in prices of onions and BJP members asking MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to apologise for his remarks concerning Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The din started soon after Chowdhury, Leader of Congress party in Lok Sabha, raised the issue of price rise and said "markets were on fire". He said the price of onions had risen steeply and its price in the market was far more than the import price of the commodity. He claimed the price was selling at "Rs 130 per kg, Rs 140 per kg" and said that the government should apologize to people (on price rise of onion).

 

However, he was interrupted by BJP members who were seeking apology for his remarks pertaining to the Prime Minister and the Home Minister.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal said Chowdhury had made remarks against Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharman and added that he should be allowed to speak only after he apologises.

The BJP has been asking Chowdhury to apologise for calling Prime Minister and Home Minister "infiltrators" and demanded that he should withdraw his "nirbala" remarks about Sitharaman.

The BJP members said those who do not respect women should have not a right to speak. BJP MP Poonam Mahajan said the Congress member should see "subalta" (strength) in women and not "durbalta" (weakness).

She said the remarks of Chowdhury pertaining to Sitharaman were "regrettable".

Mahajan said that the Modi government had the largest numbers of women in cabinet and two of them were members of Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) in the previous BJP-led government.

She said that "derogatory words" reflected "patriarchal mindset" and alleged the Congress member was working for a family and not the country.

Chowdhury, who was given permission to speak by the chair, said farmers were not getting money and the middlemen were indulging in profiteering.

"The slogan of Prime Minister is that he will not allow anyone to indulge in corruption. The middlemen are taking all the profits and the pocket of the common man is getting empty. The government is not doing anything. This is an injustice to the common man," he said.

Congress members were on their feet but Speaker Om Birla called members to raise issues of urgent importance.