Respect has to be given to the institution: Manish Tewari on 'rashtrapatni' row

New Delhi, July 29: Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has stoked a massive controversy after referring to President Draupadi Murmu as Rashtrapatni on Thursday. Reacting to the shocking remark, Congress leader Manish Tewari said that respect should be accorded too that institution.

"Lady or Gentleman anyone occupying a constitutional office is equally Hon'ble. Respect has to be given & should be accorded too that institution. Any person on a particular position becomes analogous too or with that office. No point in getting lost in the maze of gender," tweeted Manish Tewari.

Earlier, Tewari refused to sign a joint memorandum by Opposition MPs expressing concern over the controversial Agnipath military recruitment scheme, as they were not satisfied with the response of the government during a meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee on Defence.

A major political row broke out on Thursday over Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury's 'rashtrapatni' remark with the BJP launching an all-out offensive against the opposition party, accusing Chowdhury of hurling a "deliberate sexist insult" at President Draupadi Murmu and demanding an apology from Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

In his defence, Chowdhury, who is the leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, said he never intended to disrespect the President and his 'rashtrapatni' remark was a "slip of the tongue".

Taking on the Congress, both inside and outside Parliament, Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Smriti Irani said Chowdhury used the term knowing well that it demeans Murmu and her office and is against India's values. Both houses also witnessed frequent adjournments due to protests by BJP members on the issue.

The BJP also fielded six of its tribal leaders, including three Union ministers -Kiren Rijiju, Sarbananda Sonowal and Bharati Pawar, to attack the Congress over the issue.