Days after actor-politician Jaya Bachchan objected to Deputy Chairman Harivanch Narayan Singh addressing her as "Shrimati Jaya Amitabh Bachchan," the Samajwadi Party MP referred to herself as "Jaya Amitabh Bachchan" in the Rajya Sabha on Friday. This led the Rajya Sabha Chairperson and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar to burst into laughter.
Opposition MPs including Congress leader Jairam Ramesh and Aam Aadmi Party leader Raghav Chadha, who were also present in the House, laughed along with the chairperson and the MP.
Following this, a light banter ensued between Jaya Bachhan and Jagdeep Dhankar.
"Did you get a lunch break today? No? This is why you're taking Jairam ji's name repeatedly. You cannot digest your food without taking his name", Jaya Bachchan told Dhankhar.
To this, Dhankar replied: "I'll tell you on a light-hearted note. I did not take lunch break today but I had lunch with Jiram ji."
Dhankar's response also evoked laughter in the Rajya Sabha session.
On Monday, Jaya Bachchan had objected to being identified by her husband's name and asserted that her identity is independent of her husband's name.
Objecting to being referred to as "Jaya Amitabh Bachchan", the Rajya Sabha MP had told Chairperson Singh on July 29, that "sirf Jaya Bachchan bolte to kaafi hota” (It would’ve been enough to call me Jaya Bachchan).
Responding to this, Deputy Chairman smiled and said that he only addressed her that way since it was mentioned in the records.
"This new trend of women being known by their husband's name implies they have no identity or achievements of their own. This new thing, I just...," Jaya Bachchan said, criticising the practice.
This incident had sparked reactions from social media users, who supported her stance and praised her for addressing it in the House.