Union Ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan addresses a press conference at the BJP Headquarters, in Delhi on December 19, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
The BJP on Thursday accused the Congress of undermining the Indian democracy and the Constitution by indulging in “unruly and shameful” behaviour inside the Parliament complex. Rahul Gandhi did not deserve to be the Leader of Opposition (Lok Sabha), it added.
The ruling party accused Mr. Gandhi of injuring its MPs Pratap Chandra Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput while trying to force his way into the Parliament.
BJP MP from Nagaland, S. Phangon Konyak, complained to the Rajya Sabha Chairman, claiming that Mr. Gandhi had come too close for her comfort and was shouting during the incident, which reportedly unnerved her.
Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister and Deputy Leader of the House in Lok Sabha, told the media that such incidents should not happen in a healthy democracy. Mr. Singh and other BJP leaders visited the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital to inquire about the health of Mr. Sarangi and Mr. Rajput.
BJP MPs Anurag Singh Thakur, Bansuri Swaraj and Hemang Joshi filed a complaint against Mr. Gandhi under sections 109 (attempt to murder), 115 (voluntarily causing hurt), 117 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 125 (act endangering life or personal safety of others), 131 (Punishment for assault or criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation), and 351 (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Sansad Marg police station.
At a press conference, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that their party had expected Mr. Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to apologise.
“However, their press conference exhibited arrogance instead of remorse… A dozen times, I have been a member of State Assembly or Lok Sabha and have seen the conduct of other members from close quarters. Whatever transpired today in Parliament cannot even be imagined in a civilised society,” he said.
About the incident, Mr. Chouhan said: “MPs of any party have the right to register their protest on any issue, and the Congress had also been holding protests for the past several days. Their MPs would gather at Makar Dwar, so we either opted for another gate or used the sidesteps to enter the premises without disturbing them. Today, when the BJP MPs were protesting at Makar Dwar, Rahul Gandhi reached there. The security personnel asked him to take the sidesteps, but he deliberately went towards the BJP MPs.”
Accusing Mr. Gandhi of indulging in “hooliganism”, the Union Minister said Mr. Sarangi suffered an injury to the head after being pushed down and had to be taken to the hospital. “Mr. Rajput was unconscious when I visited him. An MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan is being conducted…,” he said.
“Will such acts be committed inside Parliament? Will physical force be used instead of relying on reasoning?” he asked.
Mr. Chouhan said a BJP woman MP was treated in a “disrespectful, rude, and indecent manner”, stating that such behaviour was against Indian culture. “Whenever I go to public functions, I wash the feet of my daughters. No one can imagine such behaviour with a tribal woman MP. What has happened to Rahul Gandhi and Congress?”
“And, when we reached Lok Sabha around 2 p.m., breaking all norms, they stood up on the Speaker’s podium….the Congress and its allies undermined the dignity of Parliament,” said the Union Minister, wondering “in which direction is the Congress taking the country’s democracy”.
Published – December 19, 2024 10:34 pm IST
