Congress’ Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is not new to creating controversies, and has often put his foot in his mouth with unsavoury remarks. This time, he has referred to President Droupadi Murmu as “Rashtrapatni”, stirring up a hornet’s nest – with the Rajya Sabha adjourned over the BJP MPs’ protest.
Chowdhury made the comment during Congress’ protests against Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioning Sonia Gandhi in the National Herald case. He said, “Yes, we will go to the Rashtrapati. India’s Rashtrapati, no no Rashtrapatni, is for all.”
The Congress MP had said it was a mistake and that he did not deliberately call Murmu “Rashtrapatni”. “I can’t even think of insulting the President. It was just a mistake. If the President felt bad, I will personally meet her & apologise. They can hang me if they want. I am ready to get punished but why is she (Sonia Gandhi) being dragged in this?” Chowdhury said.
But this is not the first time that Chowdhury has left his party red-faced with his controversial statements.
- After the anti-Sikh riots, in which several Congress names are accused, Rajiv Gandhi said at a public gathering: “Jab bhi koi bada ped girta hai, toh dharti thodi hilti hai (Whenever a big tree falls, the earth shakes).” Till date, the Grand Old Party faces flak over the statement which is seen as “justification” for the riots that killed over 2,000 people in Delhi. Despite Chowdhury claiming the tweet had “nothing to do with my own observation” despite having first posted and then deleted the tweet from his official handle.
- When the BJP government decided to abrogate Article 370, Chowdhury kicked up a storm by asking the government if Article 370 and the state of Jammu and Kashmir was an internal matter. As he questioned how matters related to Jammu and Kashmir could be “internal” if they were being monitored by the UN since 1948, a visibly uncomfortable Sonia Gandhi was seen gesturing towards her son and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, questioning Chowdhury’s statement.
- Amid a political war of words over the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Chowdhury called Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah “migrants”. “Hindustan is for everyone, for Hindus and Muslims. I can say that Amit Shah ji, Narendra Modi ji, you are yourself illegal immigrants. Your home is Gujarat, you came over to Delhi. You are yourselves migrants,” he leader had said.
- He stirred a row again when he used derogatory remarks against European Parliament members who had visited Jammu and Kashmir to review the situation after the abrogation of Article 370. Calling them “kiraye ke tattu (hired hacks)”, he slammed the government for barring Indian members of parliament from visiting Jammu and Kashmir while facilitating the visit of European delegation.
- Striking a new low, the Congress MP from West Bengal compared PM Modi to “gandi naali” while replying to the Motion of Thanks moved by Pratap Singh Sarangi in 2019. Taking a swipe at the PM, Chowdhury said there was no comparison between Indira Gandhi and Narendra Modi. He further added that “Ganga and gandi naali (dirty drain) can’t be compared”.
- Chowdhury even attacked leaders from his own party as he questioned dissident leader Kapil Sibal who was part of the G23 group. “Kapil Sibal kahan k neta hain mujhe pata nahi. He got many advancements because of the Congress. Things were good when he was a minister in the UPA govt now when UPA is not in power he is feeling bad. He should set an example that he can do something without the support of Congress, fight for his ideology on their own, otherwise what is the outcome of just giving interviews while sitting in an AC room,” he said when Sibal questioned the leadership’s decisions.
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