Bhubaneswar:

Balasore BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi on Monday criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, alleging that he behaved like a “bouncer” rather than the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, a position once held by esteemed personalities like Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Mr Sarangi, who was injured and had to be admitted to a hospital following a scuffle in Parliament on December 19, told reporters, “I am comparatively better now and was discharged from the hospital on December 28. I still need to be cautious as the stitch on my head has not fully healed.” Recalling the incident, Mr Sarangi said, “It happened when we (BJP MPs) were standing near an entry gate, peacefully protesting against the insult of Dr. Ambedkar, holding placards.” “Suddenly, Rahul Gandhi came along with some of his party colleagues and started pushing people to move ahead. He was behaving like a bouncer, not like the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, a post once occupied by great personalities like Vajpayee ji,” Mr Sarangi said.

Claiming that there was enough space beside the gate for Gandhi to pass through without causing disruption, Mr Sarangi said, “He pushed MP Mukesh Rajput, who was standing in front of him. Rajput ji fell on me, and my head likely hit the corner of a stone-like object, causing the injury.” Asked if Rahul Gandhi had expressed concern after the incident, Mr Sarangi responded, “Yes, he came near me after someone informed him of what had happened. However, he quickly left without showing any genuine concern. I recovered due to the blessings of Lord Jagannath.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

BJP MPs Pratap Chandra Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput were on Monday discharged from Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, five days after they were injured during a stand-off in the Parliament complex.

The MPs were injured on Thursday following a scuffle between the opposition and ruling BJP MPs. Pratap Sarangi (69) from Odisha and Mukesh Rajput from Uttar Pradesh were brought to the hospital from Parliament. Though Mr Sarangi was bleeding profusely when he was brought in, MRI and CT scans did not show significant injury. Both were kept under observation in the ICU and were shifted to private rooms on Saturday.

According to Dr Shukla, Sarangi was bleeding profusely when he was brought in. “He (Mr Sarangi) had a deep cut on his forehead and it had to be stitched,” Dr Shukla, Medical Superintendent of RML Hospital, had said. “Rajput also had a head injury immediately after which he lost consciousness. However, the MP was in his senses when he was brought to the hospital. His blood pressure levels had shot up,” he had said.

The BJP has accused Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi of physical assault and incitement. S Phangon Konyak, a woman BJP MP from Nagaland, also alleged Mr Gandhi came in her “close proximity” and shouted at her during the protest which made her feel “extremely uncomfortable”.

Delhi Police filed an FIR against Mr Gandhi in the case under sections 117 (voluntary causing grievous hurt), 115 (voluntary causing hurt), 125 (act of endangering life or personal safety of others), 131 (use of criminal force), 351 (criminal intimidation), and 3(5) (common intention) of the BNS.

Police will likely record Mr Sarangi and Mr Rajput’s statements today, sources had earlier told PTI.

Meanwhile, the Parliament Winter Session saw a series of disruptions over a range of issues, including the Sambhal violence, Manipur unrest and Congress’ link with billionaire George Soros. According to PRS Legislative Research, a think tank that studies India’s legislatures, the Lok Sabha functioned for 52 per cent of its scheduled time and the Rajya Sabha for 39 per cent of its scheduled time during the Winter Session.

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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