Parliament row over Renuka Chowdhury’s comment on dogs
A war of words broke out on the first day of the winter session of Parliament on Monday after Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury said, “Those sitting inside bite, dogs don’t.” She made this remark after she arrived in Parliament with a rescued stray in her car. Taking objection to it, some ruling party members accused Chowdhury of indulging in drama.
The Congress MP said she had picked up the stray earlier in the day and was taking it to a veterinarian. She also claimed that the Government does not like animals and questioned the objections raised by the ruling party MPs, saying there was no law against rescuing a stray dog.
“This Government does not like animals. Animals don’t have a voice. It (dog) was in the car, so what is their problem? It is so small, does it look like it will bite? Those sitting inside Parliament bite, not dogs,” she told reporters when asked about the dog in her car. “Which law says that I can’t rescue a dog?” the Rajya Sabha MP added.
Chowdhury, a self-confessed dog lover, has a few pets at home. Sources close to the MP said her driver was supposed to take the canine to a veterinarian after dropping her off at Parliament. Security staff appealed to her to refrain from taking the dog inside the premises, it was learnt.
However, BJP MP Jagdambika Pal accused Chowdhury of indulging in a “tamasha” (theatrics) and violating protocol by bringing a dog to Parliament. He argued that members cannot bring anyone inside Parliament without proper documents and demanded action against the Congress MP. “You are not serious about debating issues. You are making a joke of Parliament with such tamasha. She is a member of the House and should raise issues of public importance instead of indulging in such drama,” Pal said.
“She should be taken to task by the Chairman of the House,” Pal asserted, while seeking action against her. The BJP member said one cannot bring dogs or animals inside the Parliament premises.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala said the Congress MP has compared all her colleagues and parliamentary staff to a dog.
“Renuka Chaudhary has insulted Parliament and MPs. She brings a dog to Parliament, and when asked about it, she says that those who bite are inside. That means the Parliament, Parliamentary staff, and the MPs. They are dogs, in her opinion. She has in the past also insulted our jawans when she mocked Operation Mahadev and Operation Sindoor,” said Poonawala.
He also said the act proves that the Congress wants drama, and not policy, in the parliament. “Congress Party has made it amply clear that they don’t want dialogue or discussion in (0:05) Parliament. They want disruption, not delivery, in Parliament. They want drama and not policy. They want sloganeering. They want confrontation.”
Poonawala called this the “true face” of Chowdhury and the Congress. “They have no respect for the military, constitutional organisations, the Election Commission, the Judiciary, and Parliament. Rahul Gandhi, in fact, has said that he wants to fight the Indian state.”
“This is their true agenda. They want to put family interests above national interests. They are finding new ways of doing drama and theatrics in the Parliament. This is a very big insult to Ambedkar ji’s constitution. Renuka Chaudhary and Congress should apologise,” he added.
