An Union Minister and Congress MP engaged in a bitter war of words over a ‘gentleman’ remark by the Minister to be opposed by the senior Congress MP.
Smriti Irani and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in Lok Sabha
A war of words, for a brief period of time, between Union Minister Smriti Irani and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury generated no less heat in the Lok Sabha on Friday.
It triggered in during the Question Hour between the Union Minister for Women and Child Development and the Congress leader over the “gentleman” remark in the House.
The issue cropped up when the Minister, replying to a question by BJD member, Chandra Sekhar Sahu, pertaining to her department, referred to him as “gentleman” instead of “honourable member”.
When the Congress leader objected to it along with some other members, and asked the Minister to address the MP as “honourable member”, Irani retorted back by saying that Chowdhury was trying to please his political masters and score brownie points by making an issue out of nothing.
Former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi was also present in the Lok Sabha at that moment.
Irani said there was nothing wrong with the term “gentleman” and said “I want to tell this gentleman (referring to Chowdhury) that his message has reached his political masters”.
When the BJD member, while asking the second supplementary question, referred to Irani as “honourable madam”, she expressed her gratitude to the member.
At this point, Chowdhury again raised the issue as to why she used the term “gentleman”.
To this, Irani said that she was being interrupted by the Congress member as a political move, since she was being shown respect by the BJD member.
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