New Delhi : Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu Wednesday said he failed to understand why the opposition parties continued their protest in parliament for the second consecutive day over his colleague Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti’s controversial remarks.
The opposition’s protest continued despite Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Sadhvi Jyoti tendering an apology in both the houses of parliament for her remarks.
“All parties had moved ahead after accepting Sadhvi’s statement of regret yesterday (Tuesday). I don’t know what changed today (Wednesday). I don’t know why the issue was raised once again in parliament,” Naidu said.
A united opposition asked for the union minister’s resignation, leading to multiple adjournments in the Rajya Sabha and once in the Lok Sabha.
Sadhvi Jyoti is in the eye of a storm for her use of foul language at an election rally in Delhi where she had reportedly asked the voters to “decide if you want a government in Delhi to be led by children of Lord Ram or illegitimate children”.
Amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s presence in the Lok Sabha, Naidu informed the house that the matter was discussed at the BJP parliamentary party meeting Tuesday.
“The prime minister had suggested all his ministers to refrain from making any controversial statement and be mindful of their speech. As the suggestion applied to all the members of the parliamentary party meeting, the matter was put to rest,” he said.
However, he said he was unsure why the opposition continued to protest despite his clarification in the house.