New Delhi
The NDA and the INDIA Bloc members literally faced off on the Parliament premises on Thursday leading to two BJP MPs being hospitalised, an FIR including attempt to murder charges against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and a counter FIR by Congress alleging BJP leaders misbehaved with its chief Mallikarjun Kharge. In between, BJP’s tribal MP from Nagaland wrote to Rajya Sabha Chairman S Phangnon Konyak against Rahul Gandhi’s “misbehaviour”.
The events unfolded following a massive confrontation between the BJP and Congress MPs trying to prevent the other side from entering the Parliament. The entire political chaos emanated from the war of words following Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s “Ambedkar is the fashion” remark during his speech in the Rajya Sabha to attack the Congress, which has since led the INDIA Bloc to demand his resignation.
In the letter to the Rajya Sabha Chairman, Konyak said, “I was participating in a protest against the atrocities by the Congress Party against Hon’ble Baba Sahib Ambedkar. I was standing just below the staircase of Makar Dwaar with a placard in my hand. The Security Personnel had cordoned and created a passage to the entrance right for the movement of Hon’ble MPs of other parties. Suddenly, Leader of Opposition, Shri Rahul Gandhi Ji along-with other Party Members came in front of me despite there being a passage created for them. He misbehaved with me in a loud voice and his physical proximity to me was so close that I being a lady member felt extremely uncomfortable. I stepped aside with heavy heart and denouncing my democratic rights but felt that no Member of Parliament should behave this way.
“I belong to the ST community of Nagaland and I am a lady member. My dignity and self-esteem has been deeply hurt by LoP, Shri Rahul Gandhi ji. Therefore, Hon’ble Chairman sir, I seek your protection,” she added.
Speaking to the media later, Konyak said, “LoP Rahul Gandhi came close. I did not like it and he started shouting. Whatever happened today is very sad, this should not happen. We did not like the way they threatened. I have also complained to the Chairman.” Rahul Gandhi has not responded to it yet.
Addressing a press conference, Union Minister Shivraj Chouhan said, “Rahul Gandhi behaved like a goon. He started pushing there. Our elderly MP Pratap Sarangi fell and he was seriously injured in the head. On whatever our Adivasi MP Phangnon Konyak said, we are full of pain at what she mentioned. The Chairman said that she approached him while crying.” BJP MP Nishikant Dubey reacted angrily as Rahul approached an injured Pratap Chandra Sarangi saying the Congress leader does “gundagardi” (hooliganism).
Konyak is the first woman to be elected to the Rajya Sabha from Nagaland and only the second woman from the northeastern state to be elected to either house of the Parliament or the State Assembly. While she became the first ever woman member of the RS to be appointed to the panel of vice-chairpersons, she also became the first woman member from Nagaland to preside over the Upper House. She is the second Naga woman parliamentarian. It was way back in 1977 that Rano M Shaiza was elected to the Lok Sabha.
Konyak completed her schooling in Dimapur before moving to Delhi, where she did her Master’s in English Literature from Daulat Ram College. Konyak is a member of several important committees like the Committee on Transport, Tourism, and Culture, the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, and the Committee on Empowerment of Women. She is also part of the Governing Council of the North-Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences in Shillong.
Two BJP MPs, Mukesh Rajput and Pratap Chandra Sarangi, were injured during the scuffle and were immediately taken to Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, where they are currently receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
BJP MP Anurag Thakur, who led a team to file an FIR against Rahul Gandhi said, “We have filed a complaint with Delhi Police against Rahul Gandhi for assault and incitement. We have mentioned in detail the incident that happened today outside Makar Dwar, where NDA MPs were protesting peacefully. We have given a complaint under Sections 109, 115, 117, 125, 131 and 351. Section 109 is an attempt to murder, Section 117 is voluntary causing grievous hurt,” he said.
For his part, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said, “They (BJP MPs) stopped us at the door and did this to show their muscle power. They forcefully attacked us. I am not in a position to push anyone, but they pushed me.”
Addressing a press conference alongside Kharge, Rahul Gandhi said: “They (BJP) have started a new distraction. All MPs were going to the Parliament House peacefully. The BJP MPs were standing in front of us on the stairs of the Parliament House. They blocked our way. This is a new way of creating a distraction. The main issue they are trying to hide is that there is a case against Narendra Modi’s friend Adani in the United States. He has been indicted there, and Modi is selling India to Adani. This is the main issue and the BJP doesn’t want a discussion on this.”
The Congress also wrote a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla requesting him to order an investigation into the incident.
