Parliament LIVE | Delhi police book Rahul Gandhi for scuffle in House
Such a chaotic day in Parliament: Heated arguments, scuffle, complaints, FIRs, and 2 MPs in hospital
The Congress on Thursday (December 19) accused the BJP of diverting attention from the issue of Home Minister Amit Shah's "insult" to BR Ambedkar as well as the Adani issue, and said Shah must resign and apologise for his remarks.
Addressing a joint press conference at the AICC headquarters in Delhi, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi condemned Shah's remarks on Ambedkar and said they would continue to protest across the country.
"The BJP wants to divert attention from Shah's remarks on Ambedkar and that is why they are raising other issues," Kharge told reporters. He said they (Congress leaders) were only demanding the resignation of Home Minister Shah and were protesting "in support of our demands, but the BJP MPs blocked us from entering Parliament". He said they will run a nationwide movement on Ambedkar issue.
Meanwhile, a case has been filed against Rahul Gandhi for the scuffle in Parliament, in a late-night development. (Details below in our Live)
Earlier, the row over Shah’s controversial remark on Ambedkar continued on Thursday, with Congress president and Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge submitting a privilege notice against Shah, both the ruling NDA and Opposition MPs holding protests within the parliament premises, and two BJP MPs -- Mukesh Rajput and Pratap Chandra Sarangi -- landing in hospital after being injured in the melee. Trouble began when INDIA bloc members insisted on entering Parliament through the BJP MPs holding a protest instead of using the space left empty on one side of the staircase of the Makar Dwar, used by members to enter and exit the building.
Also watch: Amit Shah’s ‘Ambedkar’ remark adds fuel to Congress’s Constitution narrative
Exchange of allegations
The BJP accused Rahul Gandhi of pushing the senior member, a charge he rejected. “Are you not ashamed Rahul? You are resorting to rowdy behaviour (gundagardi). You pushed an old man,” a furious Nishikant Dubey charged. “He pushed me,” Rahul retorted, walking off after having a cursory look at Sarangi, who was being attended to by fellow BJP members.
Sarangi was later wheeled off to an ambulance and taken to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital for treatment. “Rahul Gandhi pushed an MP, who fell on me and I got injured,” he told reporters as BJP members squatted at the Makar Dwar raising slogans against the Congress.
The other MP Rahul allegedly pushed, who apparently fell on Sarangi, was Mukesh Rajput, BJP MP from UP's Farrukhabad. He reportedly fell unconscious as his blood pressure shot up.
Rahul told reporters in Parliament premises: “I was trying to enter Parliament and the BJP MPs were stopping me, pushing me and threatening me.”
Also read: Amit Shah's remarks reflective of BJP's 'old mentality': B R Ambedkar's grandson
Rijiju promises “appropriate action”
Union ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Pralhad Joshi later met Sarnagi in hospital. Chouhan told TV reporters that Sarangi received a few stitches to stop the bleeding. “Appropriate action will be taken after examining the injuries suffered by Sarangi,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said.
Congress MPs met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and submitted a complaint against the alleged unruly conduct of BJP MPs against Rahul Gandhi and stopping him from entering the Parliament. In the letter, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge claimed he was pushed by BJP MPs, lost his balance and was forced to sit on the ground, injuring his knees that have already undergone surgery.
Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned following noisy protests by the Opposition seeking an apology from Shah for his remarks on Ambedkar.
Also read: Stalin takes veiled swipe at BJP, PM for attacking Congress, Ambedkar
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Live Updates
- 19 Dec 2024 1:54 PM IST
Uproar in Karnataka Legislative Council over Amit Shah's remarks on Ambedkar
Union Home Minister Amit Shah's alleged remarks against B R Ambedkar created uproar in the Karnataka Legislative Council on Thursday, leading to repeated disruptions.
Both Congress and the opposition BJP and JD(S) MLCs charged each other of "insulting" the architect of the Indian Constitution.
Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti, who had initially said that he would allow discussion on the issue, later ruled that it cannot be allowed as the Union Home Minister, who allegedly made the comments, was not in the House to defend himself.
During a debate on the Constitution in the Rajya Sabha, Shah on Tuesday said, "Abhi ek fashion ho gaya hai - Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. Itna naam agar bhagwan ka lete to saat janmon tak swarg mil jata (It has become a fashion to say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar'. If they had taken God's name so many times, they would have got a place in heaven)." As the House met for the day, Congress MLC B K Hariprasad tried to raise the issue by holding the photo of Ambedkar, to which Chairman Horatti said, "Let's discuss after the question hour".
Hariprasad said the person who wrote the Constitution had been insulted, so it is better if the issue is discussed before the question hour. To this, BJP MLC C T Ravi said, let's discuss who insulted Ambedkar how much when he was alive and when he died. Who defeated him in the election should also be discussed.
At this time, Congress MLCs led by Ministers Bosaraju and G Parameshwara said, leave old stories, discuss what happened now. Retorting, Leader of Opposition Chalavadi Narayanaswamy said, Shah has not insulted Ambedkar, he had instead spoken about how Congress insulted him.
Some Congress members shouted "down down BJP", "down down Amit Shah" slogans. There was heated exchange between the treasury and opposition benches.
Trying to end the stalemate, the Chairman said he would allow discussion after question hour.
- 19 Dec 2024 1:51 PM IST
Kejriwal asks Nitish, Naidu to reflect on Shah's remark on Ambedkar
AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday wrote letters to Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu, leaders of NDA partners JDU and TDP, urging them to deeply reflect on Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remark on B R Ambedkar.
Sharing the letters in X, Kejriwal said people feel that those who love Ambedkar can not support the BJP that "insulted" the architect of India's Constitution, and asked Kumar and Naidu to ponder over it.
Shah's remark on Babasaheb was not only "disrespectful" but also revealed the BJP's perspective towards him and the Constitution, the AAP leader said in the letters to the two chief ministers.
"The statement made by Shah in Parliament regarding Babasaheb has left the entire nation stunned. His remark that 'chanting Ambedkar-Ambedkar has become a fashion these days' is not only disrespectful but also reveals the BJP's perspective towards Babasaheb and our Constitution," Kejriwal wrote.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JDU and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Naidu's TDP are constituents of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre led by the BJP.
"How can the BJP dare to make such a comment against Babasaheb, the Constitution's architect and champion of marginalised rights? This has hurt the sentiments of millions of people across the country," Kejriwal said.
"Babasaheb is not just a leader but the soul of our nation. After this statement by BJP, people expect you to deeply reflect on this issue as well," the former Delhi chief minister implored Kumar and Naidu.
- 19 Dec 2024 1:50 PM IST
Uttar Pradesh assembly adjourned amid uproar over Shah's comment on Ambedkar
The Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly was adjourned sine die on the fourth day of its Winter Session on Thursday following a major uproar over Union Home Minister Amit Shah's recent remark in the Rajya Sabha on B R Ambedkar.
The session, which was scheduled to run throughout the day, lasted only for one hour and nine minutes due to the uproar caused by Samajwadi Party (SP) MLAs.
As soon as the House convened, SP MLAs stormed the Well, raising slogans and holding placards in protest against Shah's remark.
Despite initial efforts to restore order, Speaker Satish Mahana could not convince the agitated members to calm down.
Amid the chaos, the supplementary budget was passed without any discussion.
Speaker Mahana repeatedly called on the opposition members to speak but none took the floor.
After several failed attempts to restore order, he adjourned the assembly sine die, bringing the Winter Session that began on Monday to an abrupt end.
- 19 Dec 2024 1:50 PM IST
Amit Shah should resign, give up politics: Lalu
Attacking Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks on Babasaheb Ambedkar, RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Thursday said he should resign from the cabinet and "give up politics".
Prasad, a veteran politician, was responding to queries from reporters about the controversy that erupted over Shah's speech in Rajya Sabha earlier this week.
"Amit Shah has gone mad. He is obviously full of hatred for our revered Babasaheb. I strongly condemn his madness," he said.
When Prasad was asked whether he too was in favour of the demand for Shah's resignation, he replied in the affirmative, but with characteristic bluntness.
"Of course, I want Shah out of the cabinet. He should resign. Not only that, he should give up politics," said the RJD supremo, who has been a staunch opponent of the BJP for decades.
During a debate on Constitution in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Shah had said, "Abhi ek fashion ho gaya hai - Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. Itna naam agar bhagwan ka lete to saat janmon tak swarg mil jata (It has become a fashion to say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. If they had taken God's name so many times, they would have got a place in heaven)." He had also said the BJP was happy that the Congress was taking Ambedkar's name but it should also speak about its real sentiments towards him, and went on to narrate incidents where the opposition party had denied the respect due to him.
On Wednesday, Shah hit back at the Congress that is leading the opposition's attack on him, alleging the party twisted facts and distorted his comments.
