Both houses adjourned amid row over Shah's remarks on Ambedkar; BJP, Congress clash over alleged misconduct
New Delhi: Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day on Thursday amid uproar and protests by opposition MPs over Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on B R Ambedkar. The ruckus saw heated confrontations, with BJP and Congress trading serious allegations of misconduct.
The Lok Sabha convened at 11 am but was soon adjourned as opposition members raised slogans demanding Shah’s apology for his remarks on Ambedkar. Speaker Om Birla attempted to pacify the protesting MPs and announced the demise of former union minister E V K S Elangovan. After observing a moment of silence to honor him, opposition protests resumed, forcing Birla to adjourn the House until 2 pm.
When the House reconvened at 2 pm, opposition members continued their protests, prompting Deputy Speaker Dilip Saikia to adjourn the proceedings for the day. The government had listed a resolution to refer two bills on simultaneous elections to a joint committee of Parliament, but proceedings barely lasted five minutes before the adjournment.
A similar scene played out in the Rajya Sabha. When the House reconvened at 2 pm, BJP leaders J P Nadda and Kiren Rijiju accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of "using force" against women BJP MPs at the entrance of Parliament. DMK MP Tiruchi Siva countered the claim, pointing out that the BJP complaint presented only one version, even as Gandhi alleged that ruling party MPs pushed him. Amid the uproar, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar stated he was looking into the BJP’s complaint but ultimately adjourned the House for the day.
Earlier in the day, a scuffle broke out at the Makar Dwar entrance of Parliament, where NDA and INDIA bloc MPs faced off during simultaneous protest marches over Shah's remarks on Ambedkar. The melee left former minister Pratap Chandra Sarangi and another BJP MP injured. The BJP accused Rahul Gandhi of pushing Sarangi, a charge he firmly denied.
The incident escalated the political row that erupted a day earlier after Shah's comments on Ambedkar triggered sharp reactions from the opposition. Congress and other opposition parties demanded Shah's resignation, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi and top BJP leaders rallied behind Shah, accusing the Congress of distorting his comments. Shah asserted that his remarks had been twisted under a "malicious campaign" and that the discussion on the Constitution had "established" Congress’ opposition to Ambedkar and reservation.
PM Modi lashed out at the Congress, calling its reaction the result of a "rotten ecosystem" that relies on "malicious lies" to conceal its "dark history of insulting Ambedkar." The deadlock between BJP and opposition MPs, coupled with the physical scuffle at Parliament's entrance, left both Houses unable to function for the day.
