New Delhi:

Parliament’s winter session – its final week roiled by mud-slinging and protests by MPs over Amit Shah’s “Ambedkar is the fashion” remark and disruptions and fractious debates over the ‘one nation, one election’ push – concluded Friday afternoon, with a stern message from Rajya Sabha Chair.

“The world watches our democracy. Yet we fail our citizens through our conduct. These Parliamentary disruptions mock public trust and expectations. Our fundamental duty to serve with diligence lies neglected,” Jagdeep Dhankhar said.

“Where reasoned dialogue should prevail, we witness only chaos. I urge every Parliamentarian, regardless of party, to examine their conscience,” Mr Dhankhar, against whom the opposition also filed a no-confidence motion, that was slapped down on procedural grounds, lamented on X after adjourning the Upper House.

“We squander precious opportunities that could serve the greater good of our people. I hope MPs will introspect deeply and citizens exercise accountability.”

The world watches our democracy, yet we fail our citizens through our conduct. These Parliamentary disruptions mock public trust and expectations. Our fundamental duty to serve with diligence lies neglected.

Where reasoned dialogue should prevail, we witness only chaos. I urge… pic.twitter.com/yCfOsiatL9

— Vice-President of India (@VPIndia) December 20, 2024

An uneasy calm lay over Parliament this morning as MPs from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and (a suddenly united) opposition held protests and counterprotests, and traded allegations.

As the day dawned, opposition MPs rallied behind the Congress’ Rahul Gandhi and demanded Mr Shah resign and slammed the BJP for yesterday’s physical confrontation, while the ruling party massed outside Parliament targeting Mr Gandhi – against whom they have filed a dramatic ‘attempt to murder’ police complaint and accused of making a woman lawmaker feel “uncomfortable”.

READ | Police Case Against Rahul Gandhi For “Injuring” 2 BJP MPs

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and the Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav were among those who led the opposition’s charge. Ms Gandhi Vadra, who yesterday ripped into the BJP over the charges against her brother, today said the ruling party is “scared” because Mr Shah’s remarks had “exposed their true sentiments” about the iconic Dalit leader. She also criticised the BJP for lodging false police complaints against Mr Gandhi; ” Rahulji can never push anyone. I am his sister… I know him. Frankly, the country knows this too…”

#WATCH | Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra says, “This Government is scared. This Government is scared to have a discussion on Adani matter. It is scared of having any discussion. They know that their true sentiments for Ambedkar ji have come out. So, they are now scared of the… pic.twitter.com/SU9LR6xUss

— ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2024

Mr Yadav, meanwhile, demanded the BJP and Mr Shah apologise for the comment. “The insult to Babasaheb Ambedkar and the attitude of the BJP towards him… if we have to take the country forward, Babsaheb’s Constitution shows the way (but) the BJP is attempting to weaken it.”

READ | “If PM Respects Ambedkar…”: Congress’ Kharge Targets Amit Shah

In response, the BJP camp – which has lashed out at the Congress and Mr Gandhi over his alleged “assault” of two of its MPs, Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput – doubled down on its attacks.

Lok Sabha MP Nishikant Dubey declared, “For the first time I saw the ugly face of this party”, and claimed he had seen Mr Gandhi “climbing up the Makar Dawar (the Parliament’s main door, outside which MPs pushed and shoved each other yesterday) … after climbing up, he pushed Pratap Sarangi ji… Mukesh Rajput ji got pushed… they (the Congress MPs) had no remorse… condemnable.”

#WATCH | Delhi | BJP MP Nishikant Dubey says, “…I saw Rahul Gandhi climbing up the Makar Dwar, so I and another leader saw this and we decided to give him space. After climbing up, he pushed Pratap Sarangi ji, Santosh Pandey ji who is next to us. Mukesh Rajput ji got pushed and… pic.twitter.com/Xy8TLovrDj

— ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2024

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju batted away the Congress’ demands for Mr Shah to quit and said, “It is the Congress that should apologise… it is not left with anything to say so they have resorted to manhandling. Our MPs say there should be police action against Rahul Gandhi.”

On Thursday there was utter bedlam outside Parliament after MPs from the ruling party and the opposition clashed, pushing and jostling each other while screaming and shouting slogans.

READ | Parliament Protests Turn Into BJP, Congress’ Injury vs Injury Claims

The injury to the BJP’s Mr Sarangi – visuals showed him with a bandage on his head and being taken in an ambulance – and the hospitalization of Mr Rajput fuelled the party’s counterattack. A trio of BJP MPs, including ex-Union Minister Anurag Thakur, then filed a complaint at a nearby police station.

Not to be outdone, the Congress then claimed an injury to party boss Mallikarjun Kharge and filed a complaint of its own. Delhi Police has turned both complaints over to its Crime Branch. The party also called the ‘attempt to murder’ complaint a “badge of honour for defending Babasaheb’s legacy”.

READ | “Injuries On My Knees”: M Kharge After Parliament Showdown

Amit Shah’s Ambedkar Remark

All of this followed Mr Shah’s remark about Dr Ambedkar – regarded as the architect of the Constitution – which were delivered at the tail end of a four-day debate on the august text.

“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,” Mr Shah quipped.

The opposition’s reaction was instantaneous and furious, and the ferocity of it appeared to unsettle Mr Shah and the BJP. A normally combative Home Minister – Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s No 2 and one of the most powerful figures in the ruling party – issued a statement on the row.

And Mr Modi himself led high-ranking cabinet members in defending Mr Shah.

READ | “Congress Anti-Ambedkar, Twisted My Words”: Amit Shah Responds

“They (the Congress) have distorted the comment I made in the Rajya Sabha,” Mr Shah said, while Mr Modi thundered on X, “If the Congress and its rotten ecosystem think malicious lies can hide their misdeeds of years, especially insults to Dr Ambedkar, they are gravely mistaken!”

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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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New Delhi:

Protest, counterprotests and brawls, and now a police case against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi – over Home Minister Amit Shah’s “Ambedkar is the fashion” remark – roiled Parliament Thursday, with the BJP and Congress trading allegations of each using force to prevent rivals from entering the building.

Two BJP MPs – Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput – were “seriously injured” by Rahul Gandhi, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju claimed, as the tense political stand-off rumbled on outside Makar Dawar, the Parliament’s main door. Mr Rijiju then tore into Mr Gandhi; “… how can he use force in Parliament? Under which law does he have the power to physically assault other MPs?”

And in a sarcastic quip aimed at Mr Gandhi – who holds a black belt in Aikido, a contemporary Japanese martial art – Mr Rijiju said, “Have you learnt karate, kung fu, to beat other MPs?”

“Parliament is not a wrestling arena,” he went on, declaring two of his colleagues had been injured and that he intends to visit them in hospital. Mr Rijiju also demanded an apology from Mr Gandhi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, meanwhile, has reportedly spoken to Mr Sarangi and Mr Rajput.

“Pushed, Shoved Me”: Rahul Gandhi

Mr Gandhi, meanwhile, has responded strongly to Mr Sarangi’s claims. He told reporters it was, in fact, a group of BJP MPs who were blocking his entry into Parliament, and that they were pushing and shoving him and Congress boss Mallikarjun Kharge, and that prompted the clash.

“I was trying to go inside… but BJP MPs were trying to stop me; they pushed me away and threatened me. Yes (in response to a question about Mr Kharge) … that also happened. But we do not get affected by this jostling. This is Parliament and we have the right to go inside,” he said.

#WATCH | Delhi: MPs of INDIA Alliance climb the walls of Makar Dwar at the Parliament and protest with placards demanding an apology and resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks on Babasaheb Ambedkar in Rajya Sabha. pic.twitter.com/Bd9UAEkMKX

— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2024

Mr Gandhi also told reporters, “This (the shoving) might be on your camera.”

“Rahul Gandhi Pushed An MP”

The injured BJP MP, Mr Sarangi, said he fell and hurt his head after a third person (unidentified at this time) fell on him. Mr Sarangi said Mr Gandhi had pushed this person who then fell on him.

#WATCH | Delhi | BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi says, “Rahul Gandhi pushed an MP who fell on me after which I fell down…I was standing near the stairs when Rahul Gandhi came and pushed an MP who then fell on me…” pic.twitter.com/xhn2XOvYt4

— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2024

“Rahul Gandhi pushed an MP who fell on me, after which I fell down…I was standing near the stairs when Rahul Gandhi came and pushed an MP who then fell on me…” he told reporters from a wheelchair and with a medical professional holding a bandage to the side of his head.

Visuals from outside Parliament then showed Mr Sarangi being taken to hospital in an ambulance.

All of this follows Mr Shah’s remarks about Dr BR Ambedkar.

Amit Shah’s “Ambedkar” Remark Row

On Monday, in concluding remarks on a two-day debate on the Constitution, Mr Shah quipped, “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 | Congress 2nd To Move Privilege Motion Against Amit Shah

Congress boss Mallikarjun Kharge has been particularly vocal, demanding that Prime Minister Modi, “If (he) has any respect for Babasaheb Ambedkar, he should drop Shah from the Cabinet.”

READ | “If PM Respects Ambedkar…”: Congress’ Kharge Targets Amit Shah

On Wednesday evening a combative Mr Shah – A combative Amit Shah – Prime Minister Modi’s No 2 and one of the most powerful figures in the BJP – 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 (when in power)”.

READ | “Congress Anti-Ambedkar, Twisted My Words”: Amit Shah Responds

He also refused to step down, saying, “Khargeji is asking for my resignation. If it will make him happy, I will.. but it won’t end his problems. He will have to sit in the same place (the opposition) for 15 years…”

PM’s Defence Of Amit Shah

And in an even more unusual move, one perhaps underlining the impact the opposition’s attack is having on the BJP – the Prime Minister and his members of his cabinet have come out in defence.

“If the Congress and its rotten ecosystem think malicious lies can hide their misdeeds of several years, especially their insult towards Dr Ambedkar, they are gravely mistaken!” the PM said.

READ | PM Leads BJP Fightback As Opposition Ups Ante In Ambedkar Row

“People of India have seen, time and again, how one party, led by one dynasty, has indulged in every possible dirty trick to obliterate the legacy of Dr Ambedkar…” he said on X.

With input from agencies

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New Delhi:

Home Minister Amit Shah – at the centre of a ferocious Congress-led maelstrom following his “Ambedkar is the fashion” quip in Parliament last night – counterattacked Wednesday evening by accusing his rivals of being “anti-Ambedkar” and “anti-Constitution”, and “spreading lies”.

In his typically combative style, a normally unapologetic Mr Shah – Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s No 2 and one of the most powerful figures in the ruling BJP – made no reference to his specific comment about the Dalit icon, but declared his rivals had “distorted facts” after being stung by “examples of how the Constitution was attacked and wounded by the Congress (when it was in power)”.

“They (the Congress) have distorted the comment I made in the Rajya Sabha. They made edited versions of Modiji‘s speeches. I request the media to put my full statement in front of the people… I come from a party which follows the ideals of Ambedkar,” Mr Shah told reporters.

“The Congress disrespected the Army and women, and even broke up the country and gave it to foreign powers. When this truth was uncovered… they distorted facts and misled people yesterday.”

“During the discussion (a two-day debate on the 75th anniversary of the Constitution), it was proven it is the Congress that has disrespected Ambedkar…” Mr Shah, battling calls to resign, declared.

He also singled out Congress boss Mallikarjun Kharge, who has led the chorus of critical voices, and insisted he had no intention of stepping down. “Kharge is asking my resignation. If that will make him feel happy, then I’ll give it. But the Congress has to sit in the opposition for at least 15 more years.”

“My resignation will not change that,” Mr Shah said, also vowing legal action against the Congress for having allegedly edited versions of his speech to make their point.

Only a few hours earlier Mr Kharge held a press conference of his own, in which he ripped into Amit Shah and the Prime Minister. “If the PM has any respect for Babasaheb Ambedkar, he should drop Shah from the Cabinet. (But)… instead of telling Amit Shah (he) is wrong, PM is defending him…”

New Delhi:

Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday evening doubled down on his party’s attacks on Amit Shah – after his “… has become the fashion to say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar…” remark in Parliament last night – calling them “condemnable” and slamming the ruling BJP for disrespecting for the Constitution.

Mr Kharge also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sack Amit Shah. “If PM has any respect for Babasaheb Ambedkar, he should drop Shah from the Cabinet. (But)… instead of telling Amit Shah (he) is wrong, PM is defending him. He insulted a Dalit hero. They do not believe in the Constitution.”

The Congress leader also called out the Prime Minister for his fierce, six-post on X defence of Amit Shah, his No 2, in which he lashed out at the “rotten (political) ecosystem” populated by his rivals.

“If the Congress and its rotten ecosystem think malicious lies can hide their misdeeds of several years, especially their insult towards Dr Ambedkar, they are gravely mistaken!” the Prime Minister had said.

READ | PM Leads BJP Fightback As Opposition Ups Ante In Ambedkar Row

“People of India have seen, time and again, how one party, led by one dynasty, has indulged in every possible dirty trick to obliterate the legacy of Dr Ambedkar…” he said on X.

“PM Modi made six tweets to defend Amit Shah. What was the need? If someone says (something) wrong about BR Ambedkar, he should be removed from the cabinet,” the Congress chief responded this evening, “But they are friends and are supporting each other’s sins…”

If the Congress and its rotten ecosystem think their malicious lies can hide their misdeeds of several years, especially their insult towards Dr. Ambedkar, they are gravely mistaken!

The people of India have seen time and again how one Party, led by one dynasty, has indulged in…

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 18, 2024

Mr Shah’s remarks about Dr Ambedkar – regarded as the architect of the Constitution – were delivered at the tail end of a four-day debate on the text, two each in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha..

The debates were seen as a way to restore normality in a Parliament session roiled by a multiplicity of protests between the government and the opposition, with the attendant frequent disruptions.

The “Ambedkar is fashion…” statement came in Mr Shah’s concluding remarks in the Rajya Sabha debate; the Home Minister said sarcastically, “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.”

READ | “No Less Than God”: Opposition Slams Shah’s Ambedkar Remark

The quip provoked furious protests from the Congress and other opposition parties, with Mr Kharge saying the “insult” had again proven that the BJP and its ideological parent – the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh – were against the country’s best interests. Congress MPs Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and  Rahul Gandhi also issued scathing counterattacks, and demanded Mr Shah apologise.

Sharing pictures from a protest outside Parliament – in which the opposition was united, despite recent differences over strategy and questions over the Congress’ leadership of the INDIA bloc – Mr Gandhi said, “Babasaheb is the Constitution’s architect… a great man who gave direction to the country.”

READ | “Country Will Not Tolerate Insult Of Dr Ambedkar”: Rahul Gandhi

“The country will not tolerate his insult… the Home Minister should apologise!”

It isn’t just the Congress that is up in arms. The Samajwadi Party – which contests elections on its ‘PDA’ strategy, in which the ‘D’ stands for Dalits – said it showed “the BJP is nervous about the struggle…”

“Babasaheb Ambedkar is God to a lot of deprived sections of the society. He is worshipped in each house and village. The BJP is nervous about the struggle of the PDA and that is the reason such statements come from them from time to time…” Akhilesh Yadav said.

Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool has also rallied against Amit Shah and the BJP; hours earlier the party filed a privilege notice against the Home Minister; Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien, who moved the notice, accused Mr Shah of insulting the Dalit leader.

READ | “Mask Falls”: Trinamool Moves Against Shah In Ambedkar Row

Ms Banerjee posted a separate post in which she called the remarks “a display of BJP’s casteist and anti-Dalit mindset” and “an insult to millions who look up to Ambedkar”.

Amidst all this, Mr Modi and Mr Shah met Mr Gandhi and Mr Kharge this afternoon. Sources said the meeting had no connection to the “Ambedkar is fashion” row, stating the four senior-most political leaders in the country were meeting to appoint the next National Human Rights Commission chief.

With input from agencies

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