Scuffle, Injuries, FIR Against Rahul: Blame Game Between BJP & Congress After Chaos Outside Parliament

What began with parallel marches by the BJP and opposition MPs over Amit Shah’s comments on Ambedkar, ended in a face-off at the Parliament gates leading to two BJP MPs getting hospitalised.

Parallel marches, confrontation leading to injuries followed by FIRs: Tuesday unfolded as a day of high drama outside Parliament, with BJP leaders and the opposition locking horns over the alleged insult to Ambedkar. 

Several MPs of the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance were protesting at the steps of Parliament's 'Makar Dwar' against the Congress' alleged insult of Ambedkar, while MPs from the Congress and its allies were demonstrating over Union Minister Home Amit Shah's remarks on Ambedkar and accused the BJP of slighting the architect of the Constitution. 

What began with parallel marches by the BJP and opposition MPs over Amit Shah’s comments on Ambedkar, ended in a face-off at the Parliament gates leading to two BJP MPs getting hospitalised.

As the two groups came closer, tempers and voices rose, soon resulting in a melee. Pratap Sarangi from Odisha and Mukesh Rajput from Uttar Pradesh were injured and admitted to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in the capital. Sarangi had to get stitches in the temple, while his colleague Rajput was also injured in the head. 

The Congress vehemently denied the charges. Party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said Rahul Gandhi and the others were protesting peacefully, but were prevented from entering Parliament by BJP MPs carrying “sticks”.

BJP MPs claimed that Gandhi tried to push his way inside Parliament through the middle of the stairs where they were standing, ignoring a side passage, and caused injuries in the ensuing jostling. However, some opposition MPs claimed that the BJP members refused to give way to Gandhi who was heading to the Lok Sabha to attend the House proceedings. 

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said he was pushed so violently that he lost his balance and sat down. He further said he sustained injuries in his knees and called Thursday's scuffle a deviation from the issue of the insult to Ambedkar allegedly made during Amit Shah's speech in Parliament. 

Allegations and Counter-Allegations

Congress MPs met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and submitted a complaint against the alleged unruly conduct of BJP MPs against Rahul Gandhi and attempts to stop him from entering Parliament House. 

Meanwhile, Phangnon Konyak, a woman BJP MP from Nagaland, said in the Rajya Sabha that Gandhi came in very close proximity of me during a peaceful protest and shouted at her. 

He made her uncomfortable, she said, accusing him of conduct unbecoming of his position as the Leader of Opposition. Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar said that he has received a communication from Konyak on the incident and she also met him in his chamber. 

Counter FIRs By BJP And Congress

Shortly after the confrontation outside the Parliament, the BJP filed a police complaint against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of physical assault and incitement and sought his indictment under sections of attempt to murder and other charges. 

BJP MP Hemang Joshi, accompanied by his party colleagues Anurag Thakur and Bansuri Swaraj, visited the Parliament Street Police Station and filed the complaint. 

The BJP delegation was still inside New Delhi DCP Devesh Kumar Mahla's office there, when the Congress leaders came with their complaint and were asked to wait inside the ACP's room. 

A delegation of Congress MPs, including Digvijaya Singh, Mukul Wasnik, Rajiv Shukla and Pramod Tiwari, also filed a complaint at Parliament Street Police Station alleging misbehaviour with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge. A senior officer said police have received the complaint and are looking into it.

Delhi Police late on Thursday evening said that it registered an FIR against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, hours after the BJP filed a complaint. A police officer said that the FIR has been registered under sections 115 (voluntary causing hurt), 117 (voluntary causing grievous 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 Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. 

Congress Press Conference

The Congress later in the day held a press conference where it accused the BJP of diverting attention from the issue of Home Minister Amit Shah's insult to BR Ambedkar, and demanded that Shah must resign and apologise for his remarks.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi, while addressing the presser, condemned Shah's remarks on Ambedkar and said they would continue to protest across the country and that a movement against this had already begun.

"The BJP wants to divert attention from Shah's remarks on Ambedkar and that is why they are raising other issues," Kharge told reporters. He said they (Congress leaders) were only demanding the resignation of Home Minister Shah and were protesting in support of our demands, but the BJP MPs blocked us from entering Parliament. Kharge said they will run a nationwide movement raising the issue of Ambedkar's alleged insult by the home minister.

Gandhi said the BJP-RSS thinking is anti-Constitution and anti-Ambedkar. "The BJP is indulging in distraction. We want the apology and resignation of home minister over his remarks on Ambedkar," Gandhi said, adding that they would continue to raise their demand and the Adani issue.