Your tone not acceptable, Jaya Bachchan demands apology from RS chairman

New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha proceedings on Friday witnessed a heated face-off between the House Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan. The verbal altercation saw Jaya Bachchan taking umbrage at the Chairman's 'tone' and the latter clapping back at the Samajwadi Party MP. The actor-turned-politician also demanded an apology from Dhankar terming his tone unacceptable.

During the proceedings, Dhankhar invited her to speak and said: "Jaya Amitabh Bachchan is the last speaker on this point." This apparently left Jaya Bachchan miffed as she questioned the chair’s tone and termed it 'unacceptable'.

"I, Jaya Amitabh Bachchan, want to say that I am an artist and I understand body language and expression. I am sorry to say that but your tone ... is not acceptable," she said.

To this, Jagdeep Dhankar erupted in anger, asked her to take the seat and advised everyone to follow the House decorum irrespective of anyone's stature. This followed an uproar by the Opposition benches as they protested against Dhankhar's angry rebuke to Jaya Bachchan.

However, the Rajya Sabha chairman was in no mood to relent and cited instances when he went out of the way to address members' concerns and ensure the smooth functioning of the House.

"You may be a celebrity but everyone has to follow the decorum. Never carry an impression that only you have reputation," he angrily told the Samajwadi Party MP. Dhankhar said that he has 'highest respect' for fellow Parliamentarians but this doesn't give somebody a 'licence' to hurl accusations at the Chair. As the showdown played out in the Upper House, the Opposition members staged a walkout.

Later, speaking to the press, Jaya Bachchan said that she felt humiliated and upset at the tone used by the Chairperson and demanded an apology for the same. She also claimed that the mike of the Leader of Opposition was switched off when he stood up to speak.

Notably, this is not the first instance of heated exchange. In an earlier session, when Jaya Bachchan was addressed by her husband's name, she raised strong objections to it. She lost her calm and said that it would have been sufficient if she was addressed simply as Jaya Bachchan.