“This could be on your camera. I was trying to enter through the Parliament entrance, but the BJP MPs were trying to stop me, push and threaten me. It has happened… yes, it has happened (pushing Mallikarjuna Kharge),” Rahul Gandhi told reporters.
A fresh row broke out outside Parliament as parallel protests from both the Treasury and Opposition benches continued. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi on Thursday alleged that he was hurt after being pushed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Singh claimed that he suffered a head injury when another MP fell on him while he was standing on the stairs.
“Rahul Gandhi pushed an MP who fell on me, then I fell down… I was standing near the stairs when Rahul Gandhi came and pushed an MP who fell on me…” Singh told reporters.
After this, the BJP MP was taken in an ambulance for treatment.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused Gandhi of ‘severely injuring’ MPs and asked sarcastically, “Have you learned karate, kung fu to beat other MPs?” To put things into context, Rahul Gandhi holds a black belt in the contemporary Japanese martial art of Aikido.
Reacting to this, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in his defense said that he was trying to enter Parliament when he too was pushed and threatened by BJP MPs who were protesting near the entrance. He also accused Congress President Mallikarjuna Kharge of pushing him.
“It could have happened on your camera. I was trying to enter through the Parliament entrance, but the BJP MPs were trying to stop me, push and threaten me. It has happened… yes, it has happened (pushing Mallikarjuna Kharge) but we are not affected by the beatings. But this is the gateway and we have the right to go in. The BJP MPs were trying to stop us from going in,” Gandhi told reporters.
# Look | Earlier scenes when Lok Sabha LOP Rahul Gandhi moved to where BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi was sitting after suffering a head injury following a clash with Indian Alliance MPs. Sarangi has now been admitted to RML Hospital for treatment.
(VIDEO: BJP leader… pic.twitter.com/LmxhvaykHe
— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2024
He added that the central issue is that the BJP is attacking the Constitution and insulting the memory of Ambedkar.
This comes at a time when ruling BJP MPs are protesting in the Parliament premises against the Congress party for “insulting” Babasaheb Ambedkar.
“Babasaheb Ambedkar ji ka shimara nahi chalega (Insult to Babasaheb Ambedkar ji will not be tolerated),” BJP MPs chanted in the premises carrying banners that read, “Ambedkar showed us the way, Congress led us astray.
During the protest, Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh targeted the Gandhi family and said that they had all received the Bharat Ratna, but not Dr Ambedkar.
“The Congress party is the biggest sinner for insulting Babasaheb. The entire family took the Bharat Ratna and did not give it to Babasaheb… The Congress party should take a 24-hour fast and vow of silence to atone for its sin,” Singh said.
Meanwhile, Bharat Bloc MPs, led by Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, staged a protest at the Parliament premises on Thursday and demanded the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his comments about Babasaheb Ambedkar.
Several MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Sanjay Raut, Mahua Majhi, and Ram Gopal Yadav, wore blue to protest the Home Minister’s remarks.
The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were seen adjourned, earlier on Wednesday, as Congress and other opposition members attacked the Congress in his speech in the Rajya Sabha protesting Home Minister Amit Shah’s comments related to BR Ambedkar.
The issue has become a major political controversy after the Congress attacked Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders demanding his resignation.
(Including information from ANI)