BJP Rajya Sabha MP Phangnon Konyak on Thursday accused Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha of “making him uncomfortable” during a protest in Parliament.
In a letter to Rajya Sabha Speaker Jagapdeep Dhankhar, Konyak said that being from the ST community and being a woman member, her “dignity and self-respect have been deeply hurt by LOP Rahul Gandhi” and also sought the Speaker’s protection.
Konyak claimed in the letter that he was protesting peacefully when suddenly Gandhi and other Congress members came before him even though a separate path had been made for him. “He abused me loudly and his physical proximity to me was so close that I felt extremely uncomfortable being a female member. I leave with a heavy heart condemning my democratic rights but no MP should behave like this,” the letter said.
The state president of Nagaland BJP’s Mahila Morcha, Konyak created history in April 2022, becoming the first woman from Nagaland to enter the Upper House and only the second woman from the state to enter any House of Parliament.
In the first series, on July 17 last year, Konyak became the first woman member of the Rajya Sabha to be appointed to the vice-chairman’s panel with Fauzia Khan of the NCP, nominated MP PT Usha and Sulta Dev of the BJD and a week later. She later became the first woman from her state to preside over the Upper House.
Immediately after presiding over the Rajya Sabha, he expressed his gratitude to X. “Extremely privileged, humbled and overwhelmed to preside over the Rajya Sabha today. Delighted that the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fifth Amendment) Bill, 2022, has been passed by the House. Under the visionary leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji, women today has been given due respect and position in politics and leadership. My heartfelt gratitude to the Honorable Speaker of Rajya Sabha, Mr. Jagdeep Dhankhar ji,” she said in the post.
Konyak, who hails from Dimapur, holds a master’s degree in English literature from Delhi University. She has worked as a member of the Transport, Tourism and Culture Committee and the Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Northeast Region Development.
She is also a member of the Women’s Empowerment and Governing Council of North-Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences, Shillong.
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