Ruckus in Parliament as Opposition claims BJP member "glorified Sati" practice

The opposition leaders in Lok Sabha on Tuesday staged a protest claiming that BJP member Chandra Prakash Joshi glorified the abolished practice of 'sati' in the Parliament. Following this, Speaker OM Birla adjourned the house amid the ongoing ruckus in Lok Sabha till 1:30 pm.

The MP from Rajasthan's Chittorgarh, mentioned Padmavati, the queen of Mewar, who is said to have self-immolated to protect her honour from invader Allaudin Khilji.

Joshi, however, clarified that said he did not intend to advocate the abolished practice and his statement was about the 'Jauhar' tradition.

Joshi in the Lok Sabha said that he had not mentioned the tradition of 'Sati,' but that Padmavati had undertaken 'Jauhar' (self-immolation) to safeguard her honour.

Those who protested against Joshi includes DMK MPs along with other Opposition MPs. Lok Sabha Speaker met with party leaders, especially women MPs, protesting against CP Joshi.

The sati practise, which was outlawed in India by the British in 1829, is considered as a symbol of women's oppression.

CP Joshi also referred to Ramayana during his Parliament speech and sought to compare President Droupadi Murmu with Shabari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Lord Ram. He also made a personal attack on Rahul Gandhi.

Joshi said that in 'Treta Yug' Shabari was eager to welcome Lord Ram.

"If we talk of the joint session, when the President was entering Parliament, it felt like....Lord Ram was welcoming Maata Shabari at the doorsteps of Parliament to honour her," Joshi said.

He said the Prime Minister is working to make India a developed country.Joshi also referred to construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.

The BJP member also made a personal attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the Bharat Jodo Yatra which concluded last month.

He said somebody was holding someone's hand and somebody was hugging someone during the yatra.

"When some rituals do not take place at the right time, such things happen. There is an appropriate time for sanskaras... When panigrahan sanskar (related to marriage) does not take place at an appropriate age, such things come to the fore," he said.

Joshi lauded PM Modi's leadership saying India's stature in the world forums had risen. He said government has taken a series of measures for the welfare of every section of society.

On Tuesday, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha took up debate on the motion of thanks on the President's Address after three days of stalemate over Hindenburg-Adani row with BJP members talking of initiatives of the Modi government and the opposition members accusing the ruling alliance of not paying adequate attention to issues such as price rise and unemployment.

The Hindenburg-Adani row figured prominently in the debate with the opposition MPs pressing their demand for a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee.

( With inputs from ANI )