Uproar in Rajya Sabha as opposition calls for Smriti Irani's apology on Durga remark

The Rajya Sabha witnessed an uproar this morning over Union Human Resource and Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani's remark on Goddess Durga, with the opposition demanding her apology.

"We demand apology from Smriti Irani and that the portion about Durga should be expunged from the records," Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, said.

"The HRD Minister must apologise for what she said about Goddess Durga, it is blasphemous," said Congress leader Anand Sharma.

Meanwhile, the HRD Minister said her comments in the Upper House were made on veracity of facts.

"The documents which I read yesterday were official documents from the University; these are not documents of the Government. I am a practicing Hindu and I was pained to read out the pamphlet on Goddess Durga," Irani said.

While, the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman, P J Kurien intervened to ease the atmosphere, saying he would go through the record and would expunge blasphemous statements.