MP Simranjit Singh Mann's objection to addressing Droupadi Murmu as 'Rashtrapati' expunged from records

Mann's comments in the Lok Sabha came on July 26, a day after Murmu took oath

A couple of days before Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s ‘Rashtrapatni’ remark sparked a political row, there was a brief ruckus in the Lok Sabha over the alternative word to address a woman President, an episode that has reportedly been expunged from official records.

According to a report by The Indian Express, the ruckus unfolded when Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) chief Simranjit Singh Mann, an MP from Sangrur in Punjab, stated on the House floor that newly-elected President Droupadi Murmu should not be referred to as ‘Rashtrapati’ and called for gender-neutral words to be considered.

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The 77-year-old’s comments came on July 26, a day after Murmu took oath, during a debate on the Family Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2022 wherein Murmu was referred to as ‘Rashtrapati’ by law minister Kiren Rijiju.

Mann, seeking a clarification, questioned how a woman President could be addressed as ‘Rashtrapati’, but his objections did not go down well with other MPs, who described Mann’s remarks as a slight on the ceremonial head of state.

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While the BJD’s Bhartruhari Mahtab, a senior MP from Cuttack in Odisha, labelled Mann’s objections as being “highly derogatory,” BJP’s Nishikant Dubey argued that the issue of how to address the President had been settled in the Constituent Assembly debates. Both MPs also requested the Chair, DMK’s A Raja, to get Mann’s objections expunged from records, to which he obliged.

Commenting on the hitherto unknown episode, Mann told IE, “I strongly believe Rashtrapati word is an insult to a woman President.” However, the 77-year-old also clarified that he felt that ‘Rashtrapatni’ was a “very rude” way to address the President and instead suggested alternatives.

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“It’s always good to address her as the President. If you want a gender-neutral word to refer to the President, you can use Sadar as in Hindustani, or if you want to go the right wing way, it can be ‘rashtrakarta’. Since ‘karta’ means one who runs the household…rashtrakarta can be a gender-neutral word,” Mann told the publication.

Mann’s revelation is the latest in the row over Chowdhury’s use of the word Rashtrapatni, which sparked a row and led to the BJP demanding an apology from both Chowdhury and party chief Sonia Gandhi. While Chowdhury admitted that he had mistakenly used the term and tendered an apology, the row continues to be a flashpoint that is adversely affecting proceedings in both Houses.