NEW DELHI, December 4 (Sputnik) – A logjam in the Indian Parliament continued for the second consecutive day Thursday over a controversial speech by Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, as the opposition continues to demand her resignation despite the prime minister's call for her to return to work.
"Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti has apologized and the House should accept that and carry on with its normal business," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on the floor of the Indian Parliament's Upper House, the Rajya Sabha.
Modi also said that he strongly disapproved such statements and asked parliamentarians to refrain from them in the future.
The opposition, however, continued to demand Sadhvi's resignation, stating that her speech was criminal.
Launching an election campaign of India's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi on Monday, Jyoti referred to country's opposition parties as "illegitimate" and used abusive language. She also claimed that everyone including Christians and Muslims are sons of the Hindu god Ram and that those who do not believe so should leave the country. "You have to decide. Do you want a government of Ramzaadon [followers of Ram] or those who are illegitimate?," the minister was quoted as saying by Indian television channel NDTV.
Later Jyoti apologized for her words in both houses of the Indian parliament, explaining that her speech was targeted at separatist parties and those who do not consider themselves a part of India.
