New Delhi, December 19, 2024 – The ongoing tension between the opposition and ruling MPs escalated on Thursday when members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) filed an FIR at the Parliament Street Police station against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The BJP accused Gandhi of physical assault on two of their MPs, including former minister Pratap Chandra Sarangi, who sustained injuries in a confrontation on the Parliament premises.
The incident unfolded when members of the INDIA bloc attempted to enter Parliament amidst ongoing protests, resulting in a face-off with BJP MPs. The opposition MPs, including Gandhi, were reportedly trying to access Parliament through the BJP MPs holding a protest, instead of using the designated staircase at Makar Dwar. This led to a scuffle, during which BJP members accused Gandhi of pushing Sarangi, resulting in his injury. The BJP’s Nishikant Dubey charged Gandhi with pushing Sarangi, which allegedly led to the injury of other MPs.
Sarangi, a BJP MP from Balasore, Odisha, suffered injuries to his forehead and was later taken to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital for treatment. Mukesh Rajput, another BJP MP, was also reported to have been injured in the melee. The scuffle reportedly began after the INDIA bloc MPs were stopped by BJP members from entering Parliament, triggering the altercation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly reached out to Sarangi and Rajput to inquire about their health following the incident. The confrontation intensified when Gandhi was confronted by BJP MPs, with Nishikant Dubey accusing him of “rowdy behavior” and pushing an elderly leader. Gandhi, however, denied the charges, stating that he had been pushed by BJP members.
Later in the day, Gandhi made a counterclaim, accusing BJP MPs of blocking his way and physically pushing him. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge submitted a complaint to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, alleging that BJP MPs had stopped Gandhi from entering Parliament and pushed him, causing injury to his knees, which had previously undergone surgery.
The incident occurred amid a larger protest within the Parliament complex over Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks on B. R. Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution. Members of the opposition, including Gandhi, staged protests at Ambedkar’s statue and raised slogans demanding Shah’s resignation. They accused Shah of insulting Ambedkar, while BJP MPs countered with slogans calling for an apology from Congress for allegedly insulting Ambedkar.
The protests and the confrontation led to the adjournment of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. BJP leaders, including Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Pralhad Joshi, visited Sarangi at the hospital to inquire about his condition. Meanwhile, Kiren Rijiju, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, condemned the physical altercation, stating that Parliament is not a place for such behavior.
As tensions continue to rise, the BJP has demanded action against Rahul Gandhi, while Congress MPs have called for an inquiry into the physical altercation and the behavior of BJP MPs. Both parties have been engaged in a heated war of words, with the issue of Ambedkar’s insult remaining at the center of the controversy.
