Trinamool MP's Comment On Nirmala Sitharaman Deleted, BJP Says Apologise

: "If only Saugata Roy could listen instead of making remarks on other factors," Nirmala Sitharaman said.

An opposition member's personal comment directed at Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, which has now been expunged, caused an outcry in parliament today. Trinamool MP Saugata Roy should apologise for his comments, said Union Minister Pralhad Joshi.

Saugata Roy was making a statement on the Banking Regulation Amendment Bill and arguing against it in Lok Sabha when he threw a personal remark at Nirmala Sitharaman, implying that the nation's economic condition had increased her worries. Several members objected to the comment which, Speaker Om Birla, said would be expunged.

The Finance Minister, in her defence of the Bill, referred to the comment and said: "If only Saugata Roy could listen instead of making remarks on other factors."

Several members of the ruling party accused Mr Roy of insulting women.

"Commenting on personal attire...Being a senior member, what is he talking? He should apologise unconditionally. It is an insult to womenfolk," said Pralhad Joshi, Parliamentary Affairs Minister.

Mr Roy said he did not believe he had said anything unparliamentary.

A total of 18 Bills are to be taken up in Parliament's monsoon session that started today amid precautions against the coronavirus including plexiglass separators for MPs and masks.

This is the first session not just in the pandemic but also since the country saw its GDP at -24%, the worst slump in four decades.