The Rajya Sabha witnessed a fiery outburst earlier this over the use of ‘Jaya Amitabh Bachchan’ to introduce the Samajwadi Party MP. But after initially being irked over her identity being linked to her husband, Ms. Bachchan seems to have taken it in her stride and introduced herself in the same manner in the Rajya Sabha on Friday, eliciting a hearty laughter from Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar. The unexpected twist led Mr Dhankhar to burst into laughter, a reaction that was echoed by several other MPs, including Congress’ Jairam Ramesh and Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Raghav Chadha.
Jaya Bachchan: “Me, Jaya AMITABH BACHCHAN…”*Entire house bursts into laughter*Jaya: “.. Your food can’t digest without taking the name of Jairam Ramesh”Dhankar: “Today, I had lunch with Jairam Ramesh along my side.”~ Jaya herself adding AMITABH in between ??
The playful moment sparked a brief but humorous banter between Ms Bachchan and Mr Dhankhar. During an argument, Jaya Bachchan said, “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.” Mr Dhankhar responded in kind, saying, “I’ll tell you on a light-hearted note. I did not take a lunch break today but I had lunch with Jairam ji,” which further amused the house. “I also want to tell you that this might be the first time that I am both yours and Amitabh Ji’s fan,” Mr Dhankhar.
The light-hearted exchange comes just days after the veteran actor objected to being introduced as ‘Jaya Amitabh Bachchan’ by Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh. “Sir, sirf Jaya Bachchan bolte to kaafi hojata (It would’ve been enough to call me Jaya Bachchan),” the Rajya Sabha MP had said in the house on July 29. “This is something new, that women will be recognised by the name of their husbands. They (women) have no existence or achievements of their own,” she added despite the deputy chairman clarifying that he was just reading out the name mentioned in the records.
Jaya Bachchan has acted in several Bollywood movies with Amitabh, including ‘Sholay’, ‘Abhimaan’, ‘Silsila’, and ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham’. The couple got married in 1973 and have two children – Abhishek Bachchan and Shweta Bachchan Nanda. In 2004, she entered politics, representing the Samajwadi Party as a Rajya Sabha MP. She has been a vocal advocate for various social causes, including women’s rights.
