Speaker Bars Protests At Parliament Gates After MPs’ Injury Row: Sources
Speaker Om Birla has issued instructions not to block or hold protests at entry gates to parliament
New Delhi:
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has issued strict instructions to ensure no MP is allowed to hold protests at any of the gates in Parliament House, sources have said. The instructions came after chaos and ruckus unfolded earlier today between the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and Opposition MPs at the Makar Dwar of the Parliament House.
Mr Birla has also issued instructions to all MPs not to block or hold protests at any of the entry gates to the parliament.
MPs from the NDA and the Opposition bloc INDIA took out separate protest marches over the BR Ambedkar issue earlier today. The situation escalated when both came face to face outside the Parliament House, leading to jostling in which BJP MP Pratap Sarangi was injured.
He was taken to hospital with an injury on his forehead. BJP MPs alleged Mr Sarangi was pushed by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. Another BJP MP Mukesh Rajput was also injured, the party said.
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, later told reporters that while he was trying to enter Parliament House, BJP members pushed and “threatened” him.
“It is our right to enter Parliament,” he said.
Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were adjourned following the noisy protests by the Opposition seeking an apology from Home Minister Amit Shah for his remarks on BR Ambedkar.
The Delhi Police this evening registered a first information report (FIR) against Rahul Gandhi after the BJP filed a complaint accusing him of “physical assault and incitement”.
A police officer said they are likely to call Rahul Gandhi for questioning in connection with the case. The police will also request the Lok Sabha secretariat to provide CCTV footage of the area where the alleged incident happened.
The Congress has strongly rejected the assault claim, alleging BJP MPs pushed its chief Mallikarjun Kharge and “physically manhandled” Rahul Gandhi. The Congress also filed a complaint in connection with the matter.
In his two-page police complaint, BJP MP from Vadodara Hemang Joshi said, “They intentionally used physical force to push Mukesh Rajput and Pratap Rao Sarangi and others who were standing on the narrow stairs at the entrance.”
He alleged Mukesh Rajput suffered a “severe injury” to the back of his head and Mr Sarangi to his forehead.
“My colleague, Dr Byreddy Sabari, MP, who is also a qualified doctor, immediately provided first aid to the injured individuals. I personally witnessed the incident as I was standing next to my injured colleagues and attempted to reason with Shri Rahul Gandhi and his accomplices,” Mr Joshi said in the complaint.
