New Delhi:

Leaders of the BJP are making a beeline for Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia hospital to visit to the two party MPS admitted after they were injured in the brawl outside parliament earlier today. Pratap Sarangi from Odisha and Mukesh Rajput from Uttar Pradesh had sustained head injuries during parallel protests from Treasury and Opposition benches outside parliament. Both MPs are admitted in the Intensive Care unit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called up Mr Sarangi and Mr Rajput and inquired about their health. Among those who visited them are senior leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Dharmendra Pradhan, reported news agency Press Trust of India. Union minister Amit Shah is likely to visit later.

Mr Chouhan was vocal in his condemnation of Congress’s Rahul Gandhi, who, Mr Sarangi claimed, was responsible for their injuries.

“Decorum has been torn apart. Democracy has been shredded and sullied. There is no other example like that of the hooliganism of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party. Such conduct was never seen in the Parliamentary history of India,” Mr Chouhan said.

“Why are they releasing their frustration in Parliament if they lost Haryana and Maharashtra? A workshop should be called to train Rahul Gandhi and Congress people to understand the conduct in democracy,” he added.

Pratap Sarangi had claimed that he got injured after Rahul Gandhi pushed Mr Rajput. They were standing on the stairs when Mr Rajput fell on him. 

“Rahul Gandhi pushed a member of Parliament 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…” Mr Sarangi said. 

“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.

Mr Gandhi has denied the allegations, saying it was a ruse to deflect attention from Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s comments on BR Ambedkar.

The hospital’s Medical Superintendent Dr Ajay Shukla said Mr Sarangi was “bleeding profusely” when he was brought in.

“He had a deep cut on his forehead and it had to be stitched. His blood pressure and anxiety level were high when he was brought in,” the doctor 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 also shot up,” Dr Shukla was quoted as saying by news agency Press Trust of India. 

The Congress has claimed that their leaders have also suffered injuries during the brawl. 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. 
 

New Delhi:

BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi today alleged that he was injured following an altercation involving Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The incident occurred amid heated protests between members of the INDIA bloc and BJP MPs inside Parliament premises. Mr Sarangi, who sustained a head injury, was subsequently taken to the hospital. The BJP MP claimed that the injury happened when another MP fell on him after being pushed by Rahul Gandhi.

Who is Pratap Sarangi: Here are some facts

• Pratap Chandra Sarangi is a prominent BJP leader from Odisha and a Member of Parliament representing the Balasore constituency. 
• Born on January 4, 1955, in Gopinathpur village of Balasore district, Mr Sarangi earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fakir Mohan College, affiliated with Utkal University, in 1975.
• Mr Sarangi’s political journey began as a volunteer for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He later served in the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal. 
• Mr Sarangi was elected as a Member of the Odisha Legislative Assembly from the Nilagiri constituency, serving two terms from 2004 to 2009 and from 2009 to 2014.
• In 2014, Mr Sarangi contested the Lok Sabha elections from the Balasore constituency but lost. He contested again in 2019 and emerged victorious, defeating the incumbent MP Rabindra Kumar Jena of the Biju Janata Dal by a margin of 12,956 votes.
• In May 2019, Mr Sarangi was appointed Union Minister of State for the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises and the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying.
• Mr Sarangi was accused of involvement in the 1999 murder of Australian Christian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons. He was the leader of the Bajrang Dal when a mob, with links to the group,burnt Mr Staines and his two minor sons alive. 
• Mr Sarangi was arrested for rioting and damaging government property after a 2002 attack on the Odisha state assembly. 

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Bharatiya Janata Party MPs Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput today to inquire about their health after they sustained head injuries in parliament premises after an alleged scuffle between the opposition and ruling alliance.

This comes amidst the controversy of Rahul Gandhi allegedly pushing an MP while he claimed that he had been blocked from entering the Parliament and being allegedly pushed himself.

Both the NDA and INDIA bloc MPs had staged a protest in Parliament premises, when a scuffle broke out between the two sides, injuring two BJP MPs.

BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi has alleged that he was hurt after getting a push from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Mr Sarangi claimed that he was standing on stairs when another member of Parliament fell on him, leading to an injury on his head.

“Rahul Gandhi pushed a member of Parliament 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…” Singh told reporters.

The BJP MP was rushed for treatment in an ambulance.

Both the MPs were admitted to Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.

Medical Superintendent Ajay Shukla said that both of the leaders suffered head injuries and have been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

“Tests will be done. Symptomatic treatment has begun. Since both of them suffered head injuries, they were admitted to the ICU. Pratap Sarangi was experiencing heavy bleeding and he had suffered a deep cut. So, he had to be stitched up. His evaluation is in progress,” Shukla said.

Regarding the health of the other MP, he said, “Mukesh Rajput had fallen unconscious. Right now, he is conscious but he is dizzy and anxious. His BP had shot up.”

Reacting to the allegations, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, in his defence, said that he was trying to get inside the Parliament when he was also pushed and threatened by the BJP MPs who were protesting near the entrance. He also alleged that Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge was also pushed.

“This might be on your camera. I was trying to go inside through the Parliament entrance, but BJP MPs were trying to stop me, push me and threaten me. This has happened…Yes, this has happened (Mallikarjun Kharge being pushed),” Rahul Gandhi told reporters.

He added, “But we do not get affected by jostling. But this is the entrance and we have the right to go in. BJP MPs were trying to stop us from going in…”

Congress MP KC Venugopal accused the BJP MPs of preventing Congress leaders from entering Parliament.

“In a disgraceful turn of events, the stick-wielding BJP MPs pushed the Hon’ble Congress President, a senior and respected leader, while the Hon’ble LOP in Lok Sabha was also prevented and pushed from entering the House. These unruly BJP MPs were clearly the ones responsible for vitiating the atmosphere and lowering the dignity of Parliament. No theatrics or trickery will save them from accountability for the disrespectful comments made by Amit Shah against Babasaheb Ambedkar,” he said.

BJP is expected are filing a complaint against Rahul Gandhi and other MPs accusing them of physical violence against the BJP MPs.

New Delhi:

Amid the political row over the injury to BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi during mega protests in Parliament today, the BJP and the Congress have shared videos to support their allegations against each other. Sharing a video in which Congress leader Rahul Gandhi approaches Mr Sarangi after the fall and then walks away, the BJP said the visuals capture the “arrogance of the Gandhi scion”. The Congress, on the other hand, shared a clip and alleged that BJP MPs were stopping their Congress counterparts from entering Parliament.

The Parliament today witnessed mega protests by the ruling BJP and the Opposition, with both sides accusing the other of insulting Dalit icon and architect of the Constitution BR Ambedkar. This comes amid the massive row sparked by Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks during the Constitution debate on Tuesday. While the Congress has alleged that Mr Shah had insulted BR Ambedkar, the BJP has accused the main Opposition of twisting the Home Minister’s words and circulating short videos to mislead the people.

This morning, both sides took out protest marches on Parliament premises. At one point, MPs of the BJP and the Opposition faced off at Makar Dwar and raised slogans to outshout each other.

Mr Sarangi alleged that he fell after Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition, pushed another MP, Mukesh Rajput, who fell on him. Mr Gandhi has alleged that BJP MPs pushed him and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge from entering the Parliament building.

In a video shared by Union Minister and BJP MP Bhupender Yadav, Mr Gandhi is seen approaching Mr Sarangi after the fall. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey tells Mr Gandhi, “Aren’t you ashamed? You are behaving like a goon.” At one point, the Leader of the Opposition says, “he (Sarangi) has pushed me.” As he walks away, BJP leaders are heard saying, “He has not pushed you.”

Look at the arrogance of the Gandhi scion.

Instead of aplogising for injuring an aged BJP MP, Shri Pratap Sarangi, Rahul Gandhi walks away with accusations.

So much for being mohabbat ki dukan.

Such entitlement!

Congress continues to be blot on democracy. pic.twitter.com/a2k9rAUbSU

— Bhupender Yadav (@byadavbjp) December 19, 2024

“Look at the arrogance of the Gandhi scion. Instead of aplogising for injuring an aged BJP MP, Shri Pratap Sarangi, Rahul Gandhi walks away with accusations. So much for being mohabbat ki dukan. Such entitlement! Congress continues to be blot on democracy,” Mr Yadav said in a post on X.

Sharing a video of the interaction, Union Minister Giriraj Singh said today will be remembered as a black day. “The attack on Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput by Rahul Gandhi and his supporters is condemnable and unacceptable. The country won’t forgive this ever.”

The Congress, too, posted a video in which party MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge are seen raising slogans as Opposition MPs face-off with BJP members protesting against the Congress. MPs of both sides can be seen jostling with each other as Congress MPs try to enter the Parliament building.

इस वीडियो में साफ दिख रहा है..

BJP सांसद हाथों में डंडे लगे प्लेकार्ड लेकर विपक्ष के सांसदों को सदन में जाने से रोक रहे हैं।

कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष मल्लिकार्जुन खरगे जी, प्रियंका गांधी जी और अन्य महिला सांसदों के साथ BJP के सांसद धक्का-मुक्की कर रहे हैं।

ये सरासर गुंडई है।… pic.twitter.com/e7azBtgJiq

— Congress (@INCIndia) December 19, 2024

“It can be seen clearly in this video. BJP MPs with sticks in hand are stopping Opposition MPs from entering Parliament, pushing and shoving Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi and other women MPs. This is hooliganism, BJP’s dictatorship in the temple of democracy. This will not be tolerated,” the Congress said in a post.

My letter to the Hon’ble @loksabhaspeaker urging to order an inquiry into the incident which is an assault not just on me personally, but on the Leader of the Opposition, Rajya Sabha and the Congress President. pic.twitter.com/gmILQdIDYW

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) December 19, 2024

In a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Mr Kharge alleged that BJP MPs had pushed him near Makar Dwar. “Thereafter, I lost my balance and was forced to sit down on the ground in front of Makar Dwar. This inflicted injury on my knees which have already undergone surgery,” he has said.

“Subsequently, Congress MPs brought a chair and I was made to sit on it. With great difficulty and with the support of my colleagues, I limped to the House at 11 AM. I urge you to order an inquiry into this incident which is an assault not just on me personally but on the Leader of the Opposition, Rajya Sabha and the Congress President,” he said. 

In response to questions over the BJP MP’s injury, Mr Gandhi said, “I was trying to go inside… but BJP MPs were trying to stop me; they pushed me away and threatened me… But we do not get affected by this jostling. This is Parliament and we have the right to go inside,” he said.

The BJP has said it would file a police complaint against Mr Gandhi.