Why Jaya Bachchan Apologised In Her Rajya Sabha Farewell Speech

Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan made headlines this week for a jibe at Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar during the ongoing Budget Session of the Parliament. Apologising to all the members of the House during her farewell speech, Ms Bachchan said that she is short-tempered but did not mean to hurt anyone.

“People often ask me why I get angry. That’s my nature, I can’t change myself. If I don’t like or agree with something, I lose my cool,” Ms Bachchan said.

“If I behaved inappropriately with any of you, or got personal, I apologise,” she added.

Fondly remembering the contribution of retiring members from the Rajya Sabha, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar said the wisdom shared by them would be greatly missed and their departure would leave a void.

“The retirement of our esteemed colleagues will undoubtedly leave a void. It is often said that ‘every beginning has an end and every end has a new beginning’,” he said.

On Tuesday, Mr Dhankhar’s remark on a Congress leader over the skipping of a question prompted a strong retort from Jaya Bachchan, who said that the members would have understood if the issue was explained to them and that they are “not schoolchildren”. She also said that the MPs should be treated with respect.

Seeking to defuse the situation a little later, Mr Dhankhar said he had indicated that question number 18, which had been skipped, would be taken up after the reply to question number 19 was complete.

“It will be taken up in a composed manner (and) try to find a way out. Jaya Bachchan ji is a very senior member and if she has a sentiment, then it is bound to be serious with me,” he said.