Indian Youth Congress Protest Outside Smriti Irani's Residence Over 'Misbehavior' With Sonia Gandhi

Indian Youth Congress on Thursday staged a protest outside the residence of Union minister Smriti Irani over her alleged "misbehavior" with Congress president Sonia Gandhi in Parliament, a statement said. 

Several IYC leaders and workers holding placards took part in the protest and raised slogans, it said. "Union Minister Smriti Irani behaved indecently and abusively in Lok Sabha on Thursday. The Parliament witnessed BJP's hooliganism and their MPs have insulted crores of women of the country along with Sonia Gandhi," IYC president, Srinivas BV said. 

He said the "indecent" behavior by the BJP leader in the House was "condemnable". "The minister is furious after the illegal bar scam got exposed. The dignity of Parliament has been tarnished by Smriti Irani's unparliamentary behavior," he said.

The Congress on Thursday accused BJP MPs of subjecting Sonia Gandhi to "brutal heckling, verbal assault and physical intimidation" in Lok Sabha. The face-off between their president and Irani in the Lok Sabha chamber added to the already raging row over party leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury referring to President Draupadi Murmu as 'rashtrapatni'. 

The remark on India's first tribal president drew a fresh battleline between the Congress and the BJP, which demanded an apology from Sonia Gandhi. As the Lok Sabha adjourned soon after 12 noon, Gandhi walked across to the treasury benches and sought to know from BJP member Rama Devi why she was dragged into the issue.

Irani intervened and was seen gesturing towards Gandhi and apparently protesting Chowdhury's remark. Gandhi at first tried to ignore Irani's protestations but was soon seen gesturing towards the minister and speaking angrily.