BJP MPs, including Anurag Thakur and Bansuri Swaraj, filed a complaint against Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi at the Parliament Street Police station in connection with the scuffle between opposition and NDA parliamentarians at the entry steps of the House on Thursday.
A face-off between the opposition and NDA MPs in Parliament premises over the alleged insult to B R Ambedkar left former minister Pratap Chandra Sarangi injured.
The BJP alleged that two of its MPs, Pratap Chandra Sarangi from Balasore in Odish and Mukesh Rajput from Farrukhabad in Uttar Pradesh, were injured after being allegedly pushed by Opposition MPs as both sides protested over the B R Ambedkar issue.
BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi claimed he was injured when Gandhi pushed a senior BJP member, leading to Sarangi falling. Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said BJP MP Mukesh Rajput was also injured in the melee.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is said to have called up the two MPs, who were taken to RML Hospital, to enquire about their health. Rajput is said to be admitted in the ICU.
Meanwhile, BJP MP from Nagaland Phangnon Konyak has accused Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi of inappropriate behaviour within the Parliament premises. The allegations come hours after reports emerged accusing Gandhi of causing injuries to two BJP parliamentarians.
Konyak, the first woman from Nagaland to be elected to the Rajya Sabha, claimed that Gandhi came uncomfortably close to her near the Parliament entrance which made her “extremely uncomfortable”. She further alleged that Gandhi began yelling at her in the vicinity which she termed as a violation of parliamentary decorum.
However, the Congress party has countered the BJP’s claims, alleging that its own leaders faced physical confrontations from BJP MPs. They assert that Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress chief, was pushed, and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha was “manhandled.” Senior Congress MPs have demanded an inquiry into the incident, formally addressing a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday termed the BJP’s allegations that her brother and party leader Rahul Gandhi pushed a BJP MP a “conspiracy to save Home Minister Amit Shah’s skin”. She also accused the ruling party MPs of indulging in “goondagardi” to stop peacefully protesting opposition members from entering Parliament.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has come to the defense of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, dismissing allegations by the BJP members that the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha pushed two ruling party MPs in Parliament on Thursday. Abdullah said, “I know Rahul; he would not push anyone, much less a Member of Parliament. It’s simply not in his nature to be rude or nasty to anyone.”