New Delhi, Dec 19: A fresh controversy erupted outside Parliament on Thursday as BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi claimed he was injured after being pushed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during a protest. Sarangi alleged that he was standing near the stairs when another MP fell on him after being pushed by Gandhi, resulting in an injury to his head.
“I was standing near the stairs when Rahul Gandhi came and pushed an MP, who then fell on me, causing me to fall down as well,” Sarangi told reporters. The BJP MP was quickly rushed to a hospital in an ambulance for treatment following the incident.
In response, Rahul Gandhi defended himself, stating that he was trying to enter Parliament when BJP MPs, who were protesting near the entrance, pushed and threatened him. Gandhi also alleged that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge was pushed during the altercation. “Yes, this happened (Kharge being pushed). But we do not get affected by jostling. This is the entrance, and we have the right to go in,” Gandhi said.
The altercation occurred amid ongoing protests inside Parliament, with BJP MPs accusing the Congress party of insulting Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. BJP parliamentarians chanted slogans such as “Babasaheb Ambedkar ji ka apmaan nahi chalega” (Insult to Babasaheb Ambedkar will not be tolerated) and held banners reading “Ambedkar showed us the path, Congress misled.”
Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh, while protesting, targeted the Gandhi family, criticizing them for receiving the Bharat Ratna but not awarding it to Ambedkar. “The Congress party is the biggest sinner for disrespecting Babasaheb. The whole family took the Bharat Ratna and didn’t give it to Babasaheb,” Singh said. He also suggested that Congress should fast and take a vow of silence for 24 hours to atone for its “sins.”
The ongoing protests were fueled by tensions between the BJP and Congress over remarks made by Home Minister Amit Shah, which Congress claims insulted the memory of Dr. Ambedkar.
