Jaya Bachchan Raises Name Issue Again, Dhankar Explains Process

On Monday, Rajya Sabha Speaker Jagdeep Dhankhar addressed Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan as “Jaya Amitabh Bachchan,” prompting her to express her discontent. She argued against the practice of women being identified by their husbands’ names, labeling it as a “new drama” in Parliament. While she acknowledged her pride in her husband Amitabh Bachchan’s accomplishments, she stated, “I am very happy and proud of my husband’s achievements,” but emphasized that referring to her by her husband’s name was “incorrect” and did not reflect her own identity.

In response to her objection, Dhankhar explained that there is a formal process to change the name on election certificates, suggesting that she could opt to modify her official records if desired. This incident echoed a previous occurrence on July 29, when Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh similarly referred to her by her husband’s name, to which she had also objected, insisting that “only Jaya Bachchan would have sufficed”.