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The string of disruptions in the proceedings of Parliament continued on Wednesday with the House adjourning for the day after a personal attack on Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia by Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee. Even though Mr Banerjee later apologised for his remarks, Mr Scindia refused to accept it.
The Trinamool leader, speaking to the reporters outside Parliament, reiterated that he had already said sorry, inserting a compliment for Mr Scindia: "He is a very handsome and nice man."
The House witnessed a simple discussion on the amendments to the Disaster Management Act turn into chaos when Mr Banerjee alleged non-cooperation by the central government during the COVID-19 pandemic.
His allegations were countered by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai and Mr Scindia who said the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi helped all the states and even the world during the crisis and emerged as a "Vishwa Bandhu".
However, the spat escalated when the Trinamool leader responded by commenting on Mr Scindia's appearance. The remarks were expunged by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and adjourned the House till 4.40 PM
When the proceedings resumed, the Serampore MP apologised for the remarks and said, "I didn't want to hurt anyone, including Mr Scindia. I am really sorry if I hurt anyone."
Jyotiraditya Scindia, while refusing to accept his apology, said, "Kalyan Banerjee has said sorry. We all come to this House with the spirit of contributing to the nation's development. However, there will be no compromise on self-respect".
Mr Scindia asserted that he will not tolerate personal remarks.
"If you will get personal, be prepared for the response also...I do not accept his apology," he added.
Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day soon after.
The BJP women MPs, meanwhile, have decided to seek Mr Banerjee's suspension from the House over his "derogatory" remarks.
Andra Pradesh BJP president Daggubati Purandeswari criticised Mr Banerjee for his remarks and alleged that he had earlier also issued personal remarks against women members in Parliament.
"Mamata Banerjee leads West Bengal and it's very unbecoming of him to pass such comments... So, the women parliamentarians of Lok Sabha have met the Speaker. We have met Kiren Rijiju and requested harsh action against him so that he does not repeat it. This should also be an example to the other parliamentarians," she said.
The adjournment triggered by the Trinamool leader is a bit ironic as it happened just hours after he slammed the BJP and Congress over the repeated disruptions in Parliament.
"The House functions as per the wishes of the Congress and BJP... Congress and BJP should decide if they want to run the House or not," Mr Banerjee told reporters.
"The BJP is the ruling party, the Congress is the main opposition party. They get more opportunities in the House, we don't get anything. They shut the House when they want on any issue," he said.