A huge ruckus was witnessed in Parliament as Opposition leaders alleged that BJP leader CP Joshi “glorified” the abolished practice of ‘sati’ (an age-old practice of mass self-immolation). Following protests by the Opposition members, the Speaker adjourned the House briefly.
As per sources, Joshi, the MP from Chittorgarh in Rajasthan, however rejected Opposition’s charges and said he did not glorify the practice in Lok Sabha. The BJP MP’s remarks are likely to be expunged.
The uproar in the lower house of the Parliament began at around 1 pm after the Opposition MPs alleged that the BJP MP had made objectionable remarks and rushed towards treasury benches. The house was adjourned till 1:30 pm.
Joshi had initiated the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address when he allegedly made reference to Padmavati, the queen of Mewar, who along with several Rajput women had sacrificed their lives by committing ‘jauhar’ to protect her honour from invader Allaudin Khilji. Jauhar refers to an age-old practice of mass self-immolation by women in parts of India to avoid capture or rape by foreign invaders.
Among those who protested against Joshi’s alleged remarks were DMK’s Kanimozhi, Dayanidhi Maran, and A Raja, Congress’ Muraleedharan, NCP MP Supriya Sule and Imtiaz Jaleel of AIMIM .
While Opposition MPs created ruckus, Joshi said he had not made any reference to the ‘sati’ practice of sati’, but only mentioned that Padmavati had performed ‘jauhar’ to protect her honour. “I stand by my words,” Joshi said, as Opposition members raised slogans in the Well of the House, PTI reported.
The sati practice, which was banned by the British in India in 1829, was seen as a symbol of the oppression of women.
