President Droupadi Murmu found herself at the center of a political storm when Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Congress leader in Lok Sabha, issued an apology on Friday for using an incorrect word to describe her position. He expressed regret in a letter to the President and sought an audience to provide a personal explanation, but was unable to secure an appointment and thus sent the letter instead.
In his letter, Chowdhury admitted to the mistake, stating, “I assure you that it was a slip of the tongue. I apologize and request you to accept the same.” This apology is seen as an effort to preempt a potential attack on the President during the upcoming discussion on price rise in the House on Monday.
Chowdhury also wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker, asking for the removal of references made by Union Minister Smriti Irani regarding the Congress chief in Lok Sabha on Thursday. He clarified that the controversy was the result of a language slip and expressed regret for dragging the President’s name into political posturing.
Chowdhury also criticized the behavior of Smriti Irani in the House, stating that her repeated use of the President’s name without proper address was disrespectful and demanded that such references be expunged from the House proceedings.
The Congress MPs protested in front of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in Parliament, demanding an apology from the government over the confrontation with Sonia Gandhi. In Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge sought to raise the issue of Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goyal making references to Sonia Gandhi and demanded an apology for violating the established convention in the House.
Despite the controversy, some Congress MPs expressed dissatisfaction with the situation. Manish Tewari, a Congress leader and Lok Sabha member, emphasized the need to respect all individuals occupying constitutional offices, regardless of gender, and to accord proper respect to the institutions they represent.
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