HRD minister Smriti Irani quoting Durga poster creates uproar in Rajya Sabha

NEW DELHI: The war of words between the ruling front and opposition over the recent incidents in Jawaharlal Nehru University and Hyderabad Central University turned personal in the Rajya Sabha on Friday with opposition leaders targeting HRD minister Smriti Irani over her 'Goddess Durga’ comment.

Deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha P J Kurien even offered to expunge the minister’s remark in a bid to pacify the opposition.

Opposition leaders, who were seen fighting for freedom of speech in the House on Thursday, appeared clamouring for curbs on the minister’s speech over her "objectionable" comments against Goddess Durga purportedly taken from a pamphlet circulated in the JNU campus.

"The minister (Irani) should apologise to the House. There are people who campaign against religious figures. Their languages are not even used in media, least on the floor of this House. It should be removed from the records," leader of opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad demanded in the morning as opposition took off from their protest during Irani’s reply on Thursday.

Such was the clamour that Kurien offered to expunge Irani’s speech from the records. "It is a tradition of this House from the very time this House is constituted that no blasphemy will be said here by any member. That is a tradition of this House. I will go through the record. Anything that is blasphemy or amounts to blasphemy will be expunged," he said.

The opposition pinned the HRD minister seeking authentication of her reference to contents from some pamphlets apparently distributed in JNU earlier to mark ‘Mahishasur martyrdom day’.

The opposition had forced adjournment of the House on Thursday evening, disrupting Irani’s reply and sought apology for lending credibility to those alleged anonymous pamphlets.

Kurien’s efforts to broker peace could not hold when the House assembled on Friday afternoon. BSP’s Mayawati and CPM’s Sitaram Yechury targeted Smriti Irani expressing dissatisfaction over her reply.

"No, I am not satisfied with your reply. Will you now keep your promise?" Mayawati asked. On Wednesday the HRD minister had asserted that she was ready to offer her head if her reply did not satisfy Mayawati.

"I appeal to BSP workers to come and take away my head," Irani was heard saying in the din created as both spoke simultaneously on this issue. While Irani sought to rebuff Congress, asserting that "I am Durga worshipper myself", Sitaram Yechury pinned her over non-authentication of the Mahishasur pamphlets and cited examples of the variations in interpretation of Hindu mythology across the country.

Leader of the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley came to Irani’s defence, saying the pamphlets were authenticated by the university administration.