Jaya Bachchan gets irritated at being referred to as ‘Jaya Amitabh Bachchan’ in Rajya Sabha | Watch

Actor-politician Jaya Bachchan recently drew significant attention for her reaction to being addressed by her husband's name in Parliament. The incident occurred in the Rajya Sabha during the ongoing Budget session.

Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh addressed Jaya Bachchan using her husband’s name as her middle name, saying, ‘Shrimati Jaya Amitabh Bachchan ji, please.’ The Samajwadi Party MP was displeased with this address and responded, ‘Sir, sirf Jaya Bachchan bolte to kaafi hojata’ (Calling me Jaya Bachchan would have been enough, sir).

When Singh mentioned that her name is listed as ‘Jaya Amitabh Bachchan’ in the official records, the actor-parliamentarian voiced her dissatisfaction, saying, ‘It seems there’s a new trend where women are identified by their husband’s name. As if women have no identity, no achievements, and no existence of their own. This is a new development…’

Reactions to Jaya’s remark

Jaya Bachchan has consistently been vocal about her identity, emphasizing that, like any other woman, she has her own distinct identity beyond her surname. The video of the recent incident, which has gone viral on social media, has elicited mixed reactions. Some people supported her stance, while others noted that her name is listed as ‘Jaya Amitabh Bachchan’ in official records.

One person commented on X (formerly Twitter), ‘We may have our differences with Jaya Bachchan, but she is known as Jaya Bhaduri first and Jaya Bachchan later. She has had a strong identity independent of her husband, and at one time, she was even more famous than him. If she wanted to, she could have easily used her own name in Parliament.’ Another social media user added, ‘She’s not wrong in any sense, by the way.’

About Jaya and Big B

Jaya Bhaduri and Amitabh Bachchan married on June 3, 1973, in a modest ceremony. They have two children: columnist-author Shweta Bachchan Nanda and actor-producer Abhishek Bachchan. Jaya has been a Rajya Sabha MP from the Samajwadi Party, representing Uttar Pradesh, since 2004, and is currently serving her fifth term in the House.

Also Watch | ‘Khatron Ke Khiladi 14’: Asim Riaz evicted after heated exchange with Rohit Shetty; here’s what happened