BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra on Thursday said Congress president Sonia Gandhi must apologise to the nation over party leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury's "derogatory" remark against President Droupadi Murmu.
Chowdhury, the leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, referred to Murmu as 'rashtrapatni' while talking to the media during his party's protests over a host of issues.
Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha witnessed protests by BJP members against Chowdhury's remark and were adjourned twice amid the uproar. The BJP MPs too sought an apology from the Congress president over Chowdhury's remark.
Talking to reporters here, Patra said, Sonia Gandhi has appointed Chowdhury as the leader in Lok Sabha to speak and he has made a "derogatory" remark against President Murmu. Therefore, the Congress chief must apologise to the nation.
Reacting to Congress' stand that Chowdhury has already apologised for the comment, Patra said the MP needs to be "punished" for demeaning the country's highest constitutional post.
Lok Sabha was adjourned till 4 pm and Rajya Sabha till 3 pm on Thursday amid noisy scenes as BJP members strongly protested against Chowdhury's remark on Murmu.
The Congress leader told reporters outside Parliament that referring to Murmu as 'rashtrapatni' was a "slip of the tongue" and accused the BJP of making a "mountain out of a molehill" over the issue.
The president is called 'rashtrapati' in Hindi.
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