Tensions escalated outside the Parliament complex on Thursday, December 19, as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress traded accusations of manhandling involving their MPs during protests over Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on Dr BR Ambedkar.
The chaos unfolded when BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi alleged that he was injured after being pushed during the commotion, blaming Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. "I was standing near the stairs when Rahul Gandhi came and pushed an MP who then fell on me," Sarangi told reporters before being taken to the hospital for treatment.
Another BJP MP, Mukesh Rajput, was also allegedly injured amid the chaos.
Rahul Gandhi, however, denied the allegation, stating that BJP MPs had blocked his path and were attempting to intimidate him. "They were pushing me and threatening me," Rahul Gandhi said, explaining that the incident occurred near the entrance.
Meanwhile, Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, alleged that he too was manhandled as he and other MPs approached Parliament's Makar Dwar. In a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Kharge stated, "I was physically pushed by BJP MPs," adding that the altercation caused him to lose balance and sustain injuries.
Both the BJP MPs were admitted to the RML Hospital in Delhi, and were undergoing treatment in the ICU as they had suffered head injuries, hospital authorities said.
The clashes erupted as INDIA bloc MPs staged protests over what they described as an insult to Ambedkar by Amit Shah during his Rajya Sabha address on Tuesday. Countering these demonstrations, MPs from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) also held protests, deepening the deadlock in Parliament.
Condemning the incident, Union Minister of Parliamentary affairs Kiren Rijiju said that the Congress MP had physically assaulted two BJP MP’s. "We protested because the Congress party has always disrespected Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. Rahul Gandhi physically assaulted our MPs, Mukesh Rajput and Pratap Sarangi. Which law has given Rahul Gandhi the permission to take the law into his own hands?", said Rijiju, who went on to add that appropriate legal action would be taken.