Indian Parliament scuffle becomes a war of words between BJP and Congress. Who said what?

With the Winter Session of the Indian Parliament coming to an end soon, lawmakers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition INDIA bloc held protests, leading to a scuffle in which two BJP MPs were injured and had to be rushed to the hospital.

The injured BJP MPs were identified as Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput. A report by the news agency ANI said that Sarangi and Rajput were admitted to New Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.

Hospital officials said that both the MPs suffered head injuries and were taken to the intensive care unit (ICU).

This incident triggered a war of words between the BJP and the Congress, with the former alleging that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi pushed Sarangi during the protest. The BJP filed an attempt to murder complaint against Gandhi.

The Congress, meanwhile, filed a countercomplaint at the Parliament Street police station. 

Both parties addressed press conferences to explain their position:

On Thursday morning, the NDA was protesting in the Parliament’s premises against the Congress party for “insulting” Dalit icon Babasaheb Ambedkar.

INDIA Bloc MPs led by Rahul Gandhi also held a protest on the premises and demanded the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks on Babasaheb Ambedkar.

Speaking to reporters, Union Minister and senior BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that Rahul Gandhi behaved like a goon. 

“He (Gandhi) started pushing there. Our elderly MP Pratap Sarangi fell, and he was seriously injured on the head. He was admitted to the ICU, and he is still under treatment… He was unconscious. His MRI scan is being done. Will physical power be used in the Parliament instead of logic?,” Union Minister Chouhan said.

“Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi just did a press conference. We thought they would apologise for what they did today. But they did not. I did not understand why they did a press conference. Their press conference displayed their arrogance…,” Chouhan added.

The Union minister pointed out that the BJP would take all the required legal action against Gandhi.

Congress’ Rahul Gandhi, who is also the leader of the opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha (the lower house of Parliament), addressed a press conference with Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge.

Kharge alleged that BJP lawmakers “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. Now they are accusing us that we pushed them…So the kind of environment that the BJP people have created, we will never tolerate it, there will be a nationwide protest against this,” he added.

Gandhi, meanwhile, said, “The Union Home Minister has shown his mindset in front of everyone. We have demanded an apology from him and his resignation, but he (Amit Shah) has refused to do so. We (opposition MPs) were going to the Parliament from the Ambedkar statue. BJP MPs, however, were standing in front of us at the stairs of the Parliament complex and didn’t allow to enter the House.”