New Delhi, Dec 19: A heated confrontation unfolded in Parliament premises on Thursday during a protest by Opposition MPs alleging disrespect towards Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. The incident escalated when BJP MP Pratap Sarangi accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of pushing an MP, causing a chain reaction that led Sarangi to fall and sustain a head injury.
Speaking to IANS, Sarangi claimed, “Rahul Gandhi pushed an MP, and he collided with me. I fell and hit my head, which is bleeding. The push was initiated by Rahul Gandhi.” Denying claims of deliberately pushing the BJP leader, Rahul Gandhi told reporters, “It might be recorded in the cameras. BJP MPs were stopping us from entering Parliament. They blocked and threatened us. This is our right to protest.”
The protest was held against Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent remarks in the Rajya Sabha, which the Opposition claimed insulted Dr Ambedkar. The Opposition demanded HM Shah’s removal from the Cabinet.
Meanwhile, BJP MPs staged a counter-protest, accusing Congress of disrespecting the Constitution and Dr Ambedkar. Led by BJP MP Anurag Thakur, they raised slogans such as “Congress party maafi maango, Ambedkar ka apmaan nahi sahega Hindustan (Congress must apologise, India will not tolerate the insult to Ambedkar).”
Thakur further criticised the Congress, stating, “The Nehru-Gandhi family has repeatedly disrespected Dr. Ambedkar. Despite being the architect of the Constitution, they worked to defeat him in elections and delayed honouring him with the Bharat Ratna, which was finally awarded by a non-Congress government.”
IANS