New Delhi:
The Congress vs BJP protest war – over Home Minister Amit Shah’s “Ambedkar is the fashion” quip in the Rajya Sabha – moved to the Parliament Street Police Station Thursday afternoon, with MPs from the two parties trading complaints and allegations of physical assault of their women leaders.
Women MPs from the Congress marched on the police station to file their complaints.
“Today, a conspiracy was hatched by the ruling dispensation. BJP MPs… the way they treated Mallikarjun Khargeji, Priyanka Gandhiji and other women MPs is unfortunate. They (BJP MPs) wanted to create a scene there and that is what they did…” the Congress’ Jebi Mather told news agency ANI.
This was shortly after the BJP’s Nagaland MP – Phangnon Konyak – accused the Congress’ Rahul Gandhi of misbehaving with her as she and her colleagues were carrying out their protest. In a letter to Congress boss Mallikarjun Kharge, she said Mr Gandhi had “misbehaved with her in a loud voice and his physical proximity… was so close that I, being a lady MP, felt extremely uncomfortable”.
“I was standing just below the staircase of the Makar Dawar (the Parliament’s main entrance) with a placard in my hand… suddenly the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Gandhi), with other party members, came in front of me despite there being a passage created for them (to enter the building).”
“I stepped aside with (a) heavy heart and denouncing my democratic right but felt that no Member of Parliament should behave this way,” she said in a letter to Rajya Sabha Chair Jagdeep Dhankhar.
#WATCH | Delhi: BJP Rajya Sabha MP Phangnon Konyak says, “LoP Rahul Gandhi came close… I did not like it and he started shouting…Whatever happened today is very sad, this should not happen. We did not like the way they threatened…I have also complained to the Chairman…” https://t.co/d83HUvwQFlpic.twitter.com/oGtaja66le
— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2024
Ms Konyak’s letter provided further fuel for the BJP’s attack today on the Congress and Mr Gandhi, whom they have also accused of shoving and injuring two of its MPs. The BJP’s Anurag Thakur and Bansuri Swaraj marched on the same police station earlier to file a case against Rahul Gandhi.
In an increasingly out-of-control sequence of events, the Congress responded to that charge by claiming that three BJP MPs had “physically manhandled” Mr Gandhi while he and his party colleagues were peacefully marching from a statue of Ambedkar in the Parliament complex.
“Their conduct was not only a blatant assault on the personal dignity of Rahul Gandhi but antithetical to the democratic spirit of our parliament,” the Congress said, calling on Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to “treat this matter with utmost seriousness and take appropriate action”.
READ | Parliament Protests Turn Into Injury vs Injury Claims By BJP, Congress
Earlier today chaos erupted outside Parliament as the BJP and the opposition, led by the Congress, mounted protests and counterprotests over Mr Shah’s remark on Dr Ambedkar.
During the chaos two BJP MPs – Pratap Chandra Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput – were injured. Mr Sarangi said he fell and hurt his head after Mr Gandhi pushed a third person who then fell on him.
VIDEO | Rahul Approaches BJP MP Who Fell During Protest, This Happens
Mr Gandhi responded strongly, telling reporters it was, in fact, some BJP MPs who were blocking his entry into Parliament, and that they were shoving him. Congress boss Mallikarjun Kharge also hit back; the 82-year-old, who has had knee replacement surgery, said he too had been injured.
The BJP – under fire from the opposition over Mr Shah’s remarks, heavy enough for even the Prime Minister to respond – has pounced on the injuries to its MPs and accused Mr Gandhi of using force against its ranks; Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju lashed out at the Congress leader.
In a sarcastic quip aimed at Mr Gandhi – who holds a black belt in Aikido, a Japanese martial art – he said, “Have you learnt karate, kung fu, to beat other MPs?”
Amit Shah’s “Ambedkar” Remark Row
On Monday, in concluding remarks on a two-day debate on the Constitution, Mr Shah had said, “It has become the fashion to say ‘Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar…’ If they (the opposition) took God’s name so many times, they will get a place in heaven.”
The remark triggered a furious pushback from the opposition, with the Congress and the Samajwadi Party leading the charge, and demanding Mr Shah apologise and resign his post. Meanwhile, the Trinamool and the Congress have moved privilege motions against Amit Shah in the Rajya Sabha.
READ | “If PM Respects Ambedkar…”: Congress’ Kharge Targets Amit Shah
On Wednesday evening a combative Mr Shah – Prime Minister Modi’s No 2 – seemed to take the unusual step of publicly defending his statement, declaring his rivals had “distorted facts” after being stung by “examples of how the Constitution was attacked and wounded by the Congress”.
READ | “Congress Anti-Ambedkar, Twisted My Words”: Amit Shah Responds
The Prime Minister has also spoken out, declaring, “If the Congress and its rotten ecosystem think malicious lies can hide their misdeeds… especially insult towards Dr Ambedkar, they are mistaken!”
With input from agencies
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