“Jaya Amitabh Bacchan” Name Row: Sonia Gandhi Leads Opposition Walkout in Rajya Sabha over Speaker Dhankhar's “Tone”, Jaya Bachchan Demands an Apology from the Chair

Opposition members of the Rajya Sabha on Friday staged a walkout, condemning the tone of Chairman and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and his decision to turn off the microphone of Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge while he was speaking. The walkout, led by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, was a show of solidarity with Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan. The protest was sparked by a renewed controversy centering on the Jaya Amitabh Bachchan name row which had previously caused a stir in the Upper House. Earlier, Bachchan had expressed her dissatisfaction with being addressed as "Jaya Amitabh Bachchan" instead of simply "Jaya Bachchan."

Speaking to reporters after the walkout, the Samajwadi Party MP described the experience as "humiliating." “Whatever is said from the Chair is allowed. Outside the Chair, the individual is like us, an MP. I objected to the tone used by the Chair. We are not school children and some of us are even senior citizens. I was upset with the tone... especially when the Leader of the Opposition stood up to speak he switched the mike off,” said Jaya Bachchan.

Jaya Bachchan also condemned Dhankhar for using "unparliamentary" language and said, “Every time words that are unparliamentary are used... like 'nuisance,' like 'you may be a celebrity but I don't care.' I am not asking him to care! Nobody has ever spoken the way they do now in Parliament. What is the problem? It is so disrespectful to women." The Samajwadi Party MP demanded an apology from the Chair.

The walkout saw opposition MPs, including Sonia Gandhi and Trinamool Congress’s Derek O'Brien, leaving the Rajya Sabha to support Bachchan. Congress communications Chief Jairam Ramesh criticized Dhankhar for disrespecting the Leader of the Opposition, stating, "The chairman disrespected the leader of opposition and a constitutional post has been demeaned." Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi defended Bachchan. "Ms. Bachchan has vast parliamentary experience... more than the Vice President,” said Chaturvedi. "Ms. Bachchan is a four-time MP and deserves respect,” said Trinamool Congress MP Dola Sen

In response to the walkout, BJP leaders denounced the opposition’s actions. BJP chief and Rajya Sabha MP JP Nadda described the protest as "indecent and irresponsible behavior”. "The opposition wants to weaken the country and should apologize,” said Nadda accusing the opposition of attempting to "divide the country." Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also criticized the opposition and said, "I have never seen such unruly, indecent behavior of the opposition. Today the mind is distressed...filled with pain. This is not only an insult to the Chair; it is an insult to the democratic values of the country. It is an insult to democracy... it is an insult to the Constitution… Today it has been proved that the irresponsible opposition is trying to push the country into anarchy. The opposition should apologise." The Rajya Sabha Speaker Jagdeep Dhankhar later adjourned the proceedings until 2 pm amidst the disruption in the house.​