News Brief
BJP Mulls Police Complaint As Party MP Sarangi Injured After Alleged 'Push' From Rahul Gandhi During Parliament Protests
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Amid tensions between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress on Parliament premises on Thursday (19 December) amid the Ambedkar row, BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi has sustained head injuries.
Sarangi alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi pushed an MP, causing the individual to fall on him, resulting in his wounds.
BJP MP Mukesh Rajput also sustained head injuries during a chaotic altercation when INDI Alliance members and BJP MPs came face to face in front of Makar Dwar in Parliament.
The BJP is considering filing a police complaint over the incident, News18 reported citing sources.
After the incident, a BJP MP confronted Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of instigating the incident by saying,
“Have you no shame? Look what you’ve done. You’ve pushed him," the BJP MP was heard saying in Hindi in a video.
To this, Rahul Gandhi said, “He pushed me."
This prompted BJP leaders to say “gundagardi karte ho (You are being a bully)."
Criticising Gandhi, Rijiju questioned, “How can he use force in Parliament? Under which law does he have the power to physically assault other MPs?”
In a sarcastic remark referencing Gandhi’s black belt in Aikido, Rijiju asked, "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.
Rijiju also demanded an apology from Gandhi.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reportedly spoken to Sarangi and Rajput.
Rahul Gandhi countered the accusations, asserting that BJP MPs blocked his entry into Parliament and pushed and shoved him, as well as Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, leading to the scuffle.
"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.
