- Thursday, December 19, 2024
As the INDIA bloc parliamentarians came face to face with the ruling coalition MPs in front of Parliament entrance, the two sides engaged in sloganeering in a bid to outdo each other
By: India Weekly
A FACE-OFF between the opposition and NDA MPs on the Parliament premises over the alleged insult to B R Ambedkar left former minister Pratap Chandra Sarangi injured.
The BJP accused Rahul Gandhi of pushing the senior member, a charge rejected by the Congress leader.
Trouble began when the INDIA bloc members insisted on entering Parliament through the BJP MPs holding a protest instead of using the space left empty on one side of the staircase of the Makar Dwar, used by members to enter and exit the building.
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said BJP MP Mukesh Rajput was also injured in the melee.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called up Sarangi and Rajput and enquired about their health after they sustained injuries in the Parliament complex, sources said.
The 69-year-old Sarangi, a BJP member from Balasore in Odisha, suffered injuries on the left temple of his forehead. BJP member Nishikant Dubey accused Gandhi of pushing the senior leader.
“Are you not ashamed Rahul, you are resorting to rowdy behaviour (‘gundagardi’). You pushed an old man,” a furious Dubey charged Gandhi.
“He pushed me,” Gandhi countered Dubey, walking off after having a cursory look at Sarangi, who was being attended to by fellow BJP members.
Sarangi was later wheeled off to an ambulance and taken to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital for treatment.
“Rahul Gandhi pushed an MP, who fell on me and I got injured,” he told reporters as BJP members squatted at the Makar Dwar raising slogans against the Congress.
“I was trying to enter Parliament and the BJP MPs were stopping me, pushing me and threatening me,” Gandhi told reporters in Parliament premises.
Later, Union Ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Pralhad Joshi met Sarangi and the hospital to inquire about his well-being.
Chouhan told TV reporters that Sarangi received a few stitches to stop the bleeding.
“Appropriate action will be taken after examining the injuries suffered by Sarangi,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said.
“Parliament is not a place to show physical strength. It is not a wrestling ring,” he added.
Congress MPs met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and submitted a complaint against the alleged unruly conduct of BJP MPs against Rahul Gandhi and stopping him form entering Parliament House.
Kharge injured
In a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge claimed he was pushed by BJP MPs, lost his balance and was forced to sit on the ground, injuring his knees that have already undergone surgery.
He sought an inquiry into the incident, claiming it was not just an attack on him personally, but on the leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress president.
Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha have been adjourned following noisy protests by the Opposition seeking an apology from Home Minister Amit Shah for his remarks on B R Ambedkar.
Protest rallies
Earlier, dressed in blue, a colour associated with B R Ambedkar, INDIA bloc MPs, including the Congress’ Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, staged a protest on the Parliament premises demanding Amit Shah’s resignation for his remarks related to the chief architect of the Constitution.
BJP-led NDA parliamentarians also carried out protests within Parliament premises, raising slogans and carrying placards demanding an apology from the opposition Congress for allegedly insulting Ambedkar.
As the INDIA bloc parliamentarians came face to face with the ruling coalition MPs in front of the Makar Dwar of Parliament, the two sides engaged in loud sloganeering in a bid to outdo each other.
The INDIA bloc members first staged a protest at B R Ambedkar’s statue on Parliament premises, carrying posters that read ‘Main Bhi Ambedkar’, ‘Jai Bhim’ and ‘Amit Shah maafi maango’.
They then took out a protest march on the Parliament premises. MPs of the Congress, DMK, RJD, SP, the Left and NCP(SP), among others, participated in the protest. Several opposition MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and K Kanimozhi, were seen wearing blue.
The opposition on Wednesday seized on home minister Amit Shah’s remarks on B R Ambedkar to corner the government and demanded his resignation for what they called was an insult to the architect of the Constitution.
The attack from virtually all opposition parties, including the Congress, TMC, DMK, RJD, Left parties and Shiv Sena-UBT, led to the adjournment of both Houses of Parliament and prompted the BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to come out in stout defence of Shah. (PTI)
