Priyanka Gandhi Vadra throws ’Shahenshah’ jibe at PM Modi after Durbar Hall renaming

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra reacted on July 25 to the decision to rename two halls of Rashtrapati Bhavan - Durbar Hall and Ashok Hall. President Draupadi Murmu had earlier renamed Durbar Hall as Ganatantra Mandap and Ashok Hall as Ashok Mandap.

Priyanka Vadra, when asked to respond, said, “There is no concept of Durbar but that of ‘Shahenshah.’ The Congress leader often refers to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who she had earlier called ‘Shahenshah,’ the emperor.

The statement on renaming the halls said, Rashtrapati Bhavan, the office and residence of the President of India, is a symbol of the nation and an invaluable heritage of the people.

“Accordingly, President Droupadi Murmu is pleased to rename two of the important halls of Rashtrapati Bhavan – namely, ‘Durbar Hall’ and ‘Ashok Hall’ – as ‘Ganatantra Mandap’ and ‘Ashok Mandap’ respectively,” said the statement.

The term 'Durbar' refers to courts and assemblies of Indian rulers and the British. Important ceremonies and celebrations such as the presentation of National Awards are held are held at the ‘Durbar Hall’ in the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Shahenshah to Sehanshah

In May, during the Lok Sabha Election 2024 campaign, Priyanka Vadra called PM Modi a 'Shahenshah' who lives in castles and can never understand the plight of the common man.

Priyanka Gandhi's 'Shahanshah' jibe came in response to the Prime Minister's constant reference to her brother and Congress Member of Parliament, Rahul Gandhi as ‘Shahzaada’, the prince.

“They call my brother Shehzada. I want to tell them how this Shahzada walked 4,000 km from Kanyakumari to Kashmir to listen to your problems…he met my sisters, brothers, farmers and labourers and asked them what problems they have…,” Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said in May while speaking at a rally in Banaskantha in Gujarat.

Prime Minister Modi had reacted to the references by saying that he was not a  'Shahenshah' but a 'Sehanshah,' a person who tolerates. “I have heard, I was told ‘Shahenshah’. I tolerate so many abuses from them, then it is natural that I am 'Sehanshah,'” the Prime Minister said in an interview to INDIA TV on May 13.