Parl premises turn into battleground; BJP, Congress trade blows & police complaints
NEW DELHI: The two main political rivals—the ruling BJP and the main opposition party, Congress—were involved in a heated confrontation over an alleged physical scuffle in the Parliament complex, which escalated on Thursday. Both sides filed police complaints accusing each other of assault and misconduct.
Delhi Police registered an FIR against Gandhi under various sections after BJP leaders filed a police complaint.
The confrontation between the BJP and Congress erupted over Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks on Dr B R Ambedkar in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. His comments provoked a furious response from Congress leaders, leading to protests outside Parliament on Wednesday and Thursday. Protests by the INDIA bloc were countered by BJP MPs, further escalating tensions.
Clashes outside Parliament between Congress and BJP leaders on Thursday involved allegations of physical altercations. BJP MP Pratap Sarangi claimed that Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi pushed another MP, causing injuries, while Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi accused BJP MPs of blocking and assaulting them. Both parties traded charges and countercharges as the Parliament session remained stalled, and both Houses were adjourned for the day in the afternoon.
BJP leader Anurag Thakur, leading a delegation of party MPs, lodged a complaint with the police against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, alleging assault and incitement.
Speaking outside the Parliament Street Police Station, Thakur said, “We have filed a complaint under Sections 109, 115, 117, 125, 131, and 351 of the IPC. Section 109 refers to abetment of an offence, while Section 117 pertains to causing grievous hurt...”
According to the BJP, Sarangi and another BJP MP, Mukesh Rajput, sustained injuries during the incident. Both were admitted to the ICU at the nearby Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital with head injuries.
Meanwhile, a delegation of Congress MPs, including women parliamentarians, filed a counter-complaint at the Parliament Street Police Station. Congress MP Pramod Tiwari alleged a conspiracy behind the events, stating, “The way a Dalit leader was abused the day before yesterday and today he was pushed—this is all a conspiracy.”
Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, accused BJP MPs of lowering Parliament’s dignity. Kharge, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, alleged in a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla that BJP MPs physically pushed him, causing him to lose balance and sustain injuries to his knees.
“After insulting Baba Saheb Dr Ambedkar, Narendra Modi ji also demeans the dignity of Parliament. BJP MPs, armed with placards mounted on thick sticks, were instructed to push and shove, obstructing the peaceful protest of INDIA alliance MPs to conceal their animosity toward Babasaheb, Parliament, the Constitution, and democracy,” Mallikarjun Kharge said.
The sordid drama unfolded in the morning as BJP and opposition MPs marched toward each other over the Union Home Minister’s comments on Ambedkar. As the two groups approached, tempers flared, voices rose, and the confrontation turned physical.
Congress General Secretary and MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said Rahul Gandhi and others were protesting peacefully but were prevented from entering Parliament by BJP MPs carrying “sticks.”
BJP MPs were seen carrying placards affixed to sticks. “BJP MPs stopped, threatened, and intimidated me,” Rahul Gandhi alleged. The scuffles and controversy served to unite the Opposition in defending Rahul Gandhi. National Conference leader Omar Abdullah remarked that he knew Rahul Gandhi and did not believe he would push anyone.
The trouble erupted minutes before both Houses were set to convene at 11 am.
BJP MPs claimed that Gandhi tried to push his way into Parliament through the middle of the stairs where they were standing, ignoring a side passage, leading to injuries in the ensuing jostling. However, some opposition MPs argued that the BJP members deliberately blocked Gandhi, who was heading to the Lok Sabha to attend proceedings.
Hitting out at Gandhi, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju stated that appropriate action would be taken. “Parliament is not a place to show physical strength. It is not a wrestling ring,” he said.
Several ruling alliance MPs, including Union ministers, visited their injured colleagues in the hospital as the incident snowballed into a major controversy.
Both Houses witnessed massive uproar amid ‘Jai Bhim’ chants from both sides and were adjourned without any legislative business being conducted.
Opposition MPs held a protest march on the Parliament premises. MPs from Congress, DMK, RJD, SP, the Left, and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), among others, participated in the protest. Several opposition MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and K. Kanimozhi, were seen wearing blue, a color associated with Ambedkar.
Later, Rahul Gandhi, along with Mallikarjun Kharge, addressed a press conference, where they criticized the BJP and clarified the Congress party’s stance on the confrontation that occurred in the Parliament complex earlier in the day. Gandhi said the chaos was orchestrated to divert attention from Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks on B. R. Ambedkar, which had sparked a massive row between the Opposition and the ruling party. With a copy of the Constitution placed before him, Gandhi accused the BJP of attempting to distract from critical issues since the beginning of the Parliament session. He asserted that the BJP’s ideology is “anti-constitutional and anti-Ambedkar,” aiming to erase Ambedkar’s legacy.
“The Home Minister’s remarks exposed this mindset. We demanded an apology and resignation, which did not happen. Today, they created a new distraction. Opposition MPs were heading to Parliament House from Ambedkar ji’s statue when BJP MPs, standing near the stairs with sticks in their hands, refused to let us pass,” Gandhi said in Hindi.
