New Delhi: After clashes in Parliament premises, the Congress on Thursday accused the BJP of trying to divert attention from the case of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s “insult” to BR Ambedkar and said Mr Shah should resign and apologize for his remarks. Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi demanded the release of CCTV footage of the fight, while Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the former Congress president’s behavior smacked of arrogance.
Addressing a joint press conference at AICC headquarters in the national capital, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Mr Gandhi condemned Mr Shah’s comments about BR Ambedkar and said the party would continue protests across the country.
“The BJP wants to divert attention from Mr. Shah’s comments about BR Ambedkar and so they are raising other issues,” Mr. Kharge told the media.
The Congress president said only party leaders had demanded Shah’s resignation and were “protesting in support of our demand, but BJP MPs prevented us from entering Parliament”.
“They pushed me, I lost my balance and sat down,” the Congress chief said, adding that he condemned Mr Shah’s comments about BR Ambedkar and that the party would launch a nationwide agitation on the issue.
Mr. Gandhi said that the BJP-RSS thinking was “anti-constitutional” and “anti-Ambedkar”.
“The BJP is involved in distraction. We want the Union Home Minister’s apology and resignation for his comments about BR Ambedkar,” Mr Gandhi said, adding that they would continue with their demands and the Adani issue.
Demanding a probe into the clash in the Parliament premises, the Lok Sabha LoP said, “We want the CCTV footage released so that the truth comes out.”
Criticizing the Congress, Mr. Chauhan said, “Mr. Kharge and Mr. Gandhi held a press conference today, but instead of apologizing for their actions, they chose not to. The purpose of their press conference is unclear, but it exposed his arrogance.”
The Union Minister charged that Mr. Gandhi’s behavior was “beyond what civilized society could understand.”
Rajya Sabha MP S. In a letter written by Phangnon Konyak to Speaker Jagdeep Dhankhar regarding Mr. Gandhi’s alleged misbehavior, Mr. Chouhan said, “She filed a complaint alleging inappropriate, indecent and disrespectful behavior to the Speaker. Crying with her saying ‘Uncomfortable?…Can anyone imagine such behavior towards a tribal woman MP?’ What happened to Mr. Gandhi?