Rajasthan minister's 'dadi' jibe at Indira Gandhi sparks uproar in assembly

The Rajasthan Assembly suspended six Congress MLAs, including state party chief Govind Singh Dotasra, after protests over a minister's remark on Indira Gandhi. Former CM Ashok Gehlot condemned the move, calling it an attempt to suppress opposition.

In Short

• Suspension followed uproar over minister's remark on Indira Gandhi.
• Speaker rejected demand to expunge remark, causing disruptions.
• Protests staged by Congress inside Assembly post-suspension.

The Rajasthan Assembly suspended six Congress legislators, including state party president Govind Singh Dotasra, for the entire Budget session on Friday after protests erupted over a remark made by Minister Avinash Gehlot.

The suspension followed an uproar during a discussion on the government’s 'Lakhpati Didi' scheme. Rajasthan Minister Avinash Gehlot, while speaking in the Assembly, referred to previous schemes undertaken in "your Dadi's name," a remark seen as an allusion to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Opposition members objected and demanded that Speaker Vasudev Devnani expunge the comment.

The Speaker did not accept the demand, leading to repeated disruptions. The session was adjourned multiple times before Chief Whip Jogeshwar Garg moved a motion to suspend six Congress MLAs, including Dotasra, Ameen Qagzi, Ramkesh Meena, and Hakam Ali. The motion was passed, removing them from the session.

Congress leaders staged a sit-in inside the Assembly in protest. Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot criticised the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party over the suspensions.

"First, a minister of the BJP government made an indecent comment on former Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi and then suspended the Congress MLAs from the House who protested against not apologising for it. This shows that the method similar to Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha is being adopted in the Rajasthan Assembly. Just as MPs are suspended there to hide their failures, the same has been done here."

"After all, what was the need for the minister to make such a comment apart from his reply during the Question Hour? Such low mentality-based comments on a leader who has sacrificed his life for the country will not be tolerated."

"It seems that the entire government has become a spectacle. The government did not have any work to count in one year, so the speech of the Leader of Opposition was not allowed to highlight its failures during the address. Now MLAs from Dalit, backward, tribal and minority communities, including our state president, have been suspended from the Budget session. Is this not an attempt to divert attention from the discussion on the budget?" Gehlot stated.