Congress Leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has been suspended from Lok Sabha pending an investigation by the privileges committee, after being accused of repeated misconduct. However, Chowdhury denies any intention to insult Prime Minister Narendra Modi and questions why he opposes the term INDIA for the opposition bloc. Speaking at a press conference, Chowdhury explained that he referred to the Prime Minister as ‘nirav’, meaning silent, during a discussion on Manipur violence, as Modi had not spoken on the issue.
Chowdhury emphasized that his words were not meant to tarnish anyone in Parliament and that if they were deemed offensive, they could have been deleted according to parliamentary rules. He expressed his frustration that Modi speaks on various issues but remains nirav on the topic of Manipur. Chowdhury claims that his intention was not to insult the Prime Minister but to express himself.
The Congress MP from West Bengal’s Baharampur constituency defended his position, stating that he has always maintained that he did not use the word to hurt anyone. He pointed out that Modi’s speech in Parliament was over two hours long, but he only spoke for three minutes on the Manipur issue. Chowdhury was asked why he did not apologize, to which he responded by questioning why he should apologize for someone’s vengeance or arrogance. He even alleged that a former wrestler Member of Parliament had charged at him in an attempt to assault him in the House.
Referring to a previous controversy in which he used an incorrect word for President Droupadi Murmu, Chowdhury explained that he immediately sought an apology, acknowledging his mistake. However, he maintained that he wouldn’t satisfy someone’s thirst for vengeance and retaliation when it wasn’t his fault.
Chowdhury criticized Modi for opposing the use of the word INDIA and questioned the Prime Minister’s problem with it. He expressed concern that Modi’s preference for Bharatiya could create unnecessary differences, despite the Constitution stating that there is no distinction between INDIA and Bharat.
When asked about the violence during panchayat polls in West Bengal, Chowdhury accused the BJP of misguiding people to retain power. He also criticized the Prime Minister for speaking about some states but not addressing violence in others like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, or Haryana’s Nuh.
Chowdhury called the situation in Manipur a humanitarian disaster and claimed that if it had affected the whole country, more efforts would have been made to resolve it. He mentioned that Home Minister Amit Shah had admitted in the House that the situation in Manipur had worsened and criticized him for not mentioning the looting of around 5,000 modern weapons there.
Regarding the opposition’s absence from discussions on various bills, Chowdhury stated that according to parliamentary tradition, no other issue is supposed to be discussed until the debate on a no-confidence motion is over. He argued that the Modi government passed bills one after another, disregarding these norms and preventing the opposition from presenting their views.
Chowdhury concluded by explaining that the opposition raised their concerns about Manipur becoming a serious issue and urged the Prime Minister to speak about it in the House. Frustrated by Modi’s avoidance, they resorted to a no-confidence motion as a last option, which finally compelled the Prime Minister to address the House.
Despite the suspension, Chowdhury maintains that he had no intention to insult the Prime Minister and is questioning the opposition to the word INDIA for the opposition bloc. He argues that his words should have been addressed within the parliamentary rules rather than leading to his suspension.
