NEW DELHI: Union minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday slammed Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury for his remark against the President, saying the entire country is upset over it.
Both Houses of Parliament witnessed uproar over the remark with BJP leaders demanding an apology from Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
"The entire country today is upset over Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury's remark on the President. Congress has been insulting tribal leaders," Goyal, who is the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha, told reporters.
Referring to President Droupadi Murmu as 'rashtrapatni' was a "slip of the tongue", Chowdhury said on Thursday and accused the BJP of making a "mountain out of a molehill" over the issue.
The term was used only once by mistake and he never intended any disrespect to the president, Chowdhury said.
BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra on Thursday said Congress president Sonia Gandhi must apologise to the nation over party leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury's "derogatory" remark against President Droupadi Murmu.
BJP members stalled both house of Parliament on Thursday as they protested against Chowdhury, the party's top leader in Lok Sabha, for calling Murmu "rashtrapatni".
They too sought an apology from the Congress president over Chowdhury's remark.
Sonia Gandhi has appointed Chowdhury as the leader in Lok Sabha to speak and he has made a "derogatory" remark against President Murmu.
Therefore, the Congress chief must apologise to the nation, Patra told reporters here.
Reacting to Congress' stand that Chowdhury has already apologised for the comment, Patra said the MP needs to be "punished" for demeaning the country's highest constitutional post.