PM Modi Appeals for Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti in Rajya Sabha; Opposition Walks out of Parliament

Prime Minister Narendra Modi requested the Rajya Sabha on Thursday to get back to normalcy after BJP leader Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti apologised for her hate speech. But despite the PM's appeal, the MPs continued to press for her resignation.

The main opposition parties Congress, Trinamool Congress, and Aam Aadmi Party walked out of the Parliament in protest, prompting Mohammad Hamid Ansari, the Rajya Sabha Chairman, labelling the act as one of disgrace, reports Hindustan Times.

"I request the house that now that the minister has given an apology, and there is a message in it for all of us - let us get on with our work in the interest of the country," Modi said.

However, the appeal had little impact on the Congress and Left parties, which stood firm on their demand for Jyoti's resignation.

"The minister's apology is evidence enough that she has made the controversial remark. She should be sacked from the ministry," said Sitaram Yechury, the CPI (M) leader.

Opposition parties want her sacked and say she must face criminal charges for trying to incite communal hatred.

"The people of Delhi have to decide if they want a government of Ramzaadon (descendants of Ram) or haramzaadon (those who are illegitimately born)," Jyoti, minister of state for food processing industries, had said in a public meeting on Monday.

The remark created a furore in the Lok Sabha as well as the Rajya Sabha. Jyoti's apology was accepted in the lower house but the Rajya Sabha members were adamant that Jyoti be sacked from the Council of Ministers.

A Congress leader had said on Tuesday that they would not allow the Rajya Sabha to function unless the government filed an FIR against the minister and dropped her from the Cabinet.