Protest, counterprotests and brawls, and now a police case against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi – over Home Minister Amit Shah’s “Ambedkar is the fashion” remark – roiled Parliament Thursday, with the BJP and Congress trading allegations of each using force to prevent rivals from entering the building.

Two BJP MPs – Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput – were “seriously injured” by Rahul Gandhi, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju claimed, as the tense political stand-off rumbled on outside Makar Dawar, the Parliament’s main door. Mr Rijiju then tore into Mr Gandhi; “… how can he use force in Parliament? Under which law does he have the power to physically assault other MPs?”

And in a sarcastic quip aimed at Mr Gandhi – who holds a black belt in Aikido, a contemporary Japanese martial art – Mr Rijiju said, “Have you learnt karate, kung fu, to beat other MPs?”

“Parliament is not a wrestling arena,” he went on, declaring two of his colleagues had been injured and that he intends to visit them in hospital. Mr Rijiju also demanded an apology from Mr Gandhi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, meanwhile, has reportedly spoken to Mr Sarangi and Mr Rajput.

“Pushed, Shoved Me”: Rahul Gandhi

Mr Gandhi, meanwhile, has responded strongly to Mr Sarangi’s claims. He told reporters it was, in fact, a group of BJP MPs who were blocking his entry into Parliament, and that they were pushing and shoving him and Congress boss Mallikarjun Kharge, and that prompted the clash.

“I was trying to go inside… but BJP MPs were trying to stop me; they pushed me away and threatened me. Yes (in response to a question about Mr Kharge) … that also happened. But we do not get affected by this jostling. This is Parliament and we have the right to go inside,” he said.

#WATCH | Delhi: MPs of INDIA Alliance climb the walls of Makar Dwar at the Parliament and protest with placards demanding an apology and resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks on Babasaheb Ambedkar in Rajya Sabha. pic.twitter.com/Bd9UAEkMKX

— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2024

Mr Gandhi also told reporters, “This (the shoving) might be on your camera.”

“Rahul Gandhi Pushed An MP”

The injured BJP MP, Mr Sarangi, said he fell and hurt his head after a third person (unidentified at this time) fell on him. Mr Sarangi said Mr Gandhi had pushed this person who then fell on him.

#WATCH | Delhi | BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi says, “Rahul Gandhi pushed an MP who fell on me after which I fell down…I was standing near the stairs when Rahul Gandhi came and pushed an MP who then fell on me…” pic.twitter.com/xhn2XOvYt4

— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2024

“Rahul Gandhi pushed an MP who fell on me, after which I fell down…I was standing near the stairs when Rahul Gandhi came and pushed an MP who then fell on me…” he told reporters from a wheelchair and with a medical professional holding a bandage to the side of his head.

Visuals from outside Parliament then showed Mr Sarangi being taken to hospital in an ambulance.

All of this follows Mr Shah’s remarks about Dr BR Ambedkar.

Amit Shah’s “Ambedkar” Remark Row

On Monday, in concluding remarks on a two-day debate on the Constitution, Mr Shah quipped, “It has become the fashion to say ‘Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar…’ If they (the opposition) took God’s name so many times, they will get a place in heaven.”

The remark triggered a furious pushback from the opposition, with the Congress and the Samajwadi Party leading the charge, and demanding Mr Shah apologise and resign his post. Meanwhile, the Trinamool and the Congress have moved privilege motions against Amit Shah in the Rajya Sabha.

READ | Congress 2nd To Move Privilege Motion Against Amit Shah

Congress boss Mallikarjun Kharge has been particularly vocal, demanding that Prime Minister Modi, “If (he) has any respect for Babasaheb Ambedkar, he should drop Shah from the Cabinet.”

READ | “If PM Respects Ambedkar…”: Congress’ Kharge Targets Amit Shah

On Wednesday evening a combative Mr Shah – A combative Amit Shah – Prime Minister Modi’s No 2 and one of the most powerful figures in the BJP – seemed to take the unusual step of publicly defending his statement, declaring his rivals had “distorted facts” after being stung by “examples of how the Constitution was attacked and wounded by the Congress (when in power)”.

READ | “Congress Anti-Ambedkar, Twisted My Words”: Amit Shah Responds

He also refused to step down, saying, “Khargeji is asking for my resignation. If it will make him happy, I will.. but it won’t end his problems. He will have to sit in the same place (the opposition) for 15 years…”

PM’s Defence Of Amit Shah

And in an even more unusual move, one perhaps underlining the impact the opposition’s attack is having on the BJP – the Prime Minister and his members of his cabinet have come out in defence.

“If the Congress and its rotten ecosystem think malicious lies can hide their misdeeds of several years, especially their insult towards Dr Ambedkar, they are gravely mistaken!” the PM said.

READ | PM Leads BJP Fightback As Opposition Ups Ante In Ambedkar Row

“People of India have seen, time and again, how one party, led by one dynasty, has indulged in every possible dirty trick to obliterate the legacy of Dr Ambedkar…” he said on X.

With input from agencies

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Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge has been added to the ‘injury list’ following a physical confrontation Thursday between MPs from the ruling party and those from the opposition.

In a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Mr Kharge said he was “pushed by BJP MPs… (and) forced to sit down on the ground”. “This inflicted (an) injury on my knees, which have undergone surgery.”

“Subsequently, Congress MPs brought me a chair and I was made to sit on it. With great difficulty, and with support from my colleagues, I limped to the House at 11 am,” Mr Kharge said.

The Congress leader – who has directed counterattacks at the BJP and Home Minister Amit Shah after the latter’s “Ambedkar is the fashion” quip in Parliament this week – called on Mr Birla to order an inquiry into the assault “not just on me… but also Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha”.

The Congress today moved a privilege motion against Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks about Dr BR Ambedkar. Mr Shah, speaking in the Rajya Sabha on December 17, had commented that Congress leaders “would have got a place in heaven had they chanted the name of God rather than following the fashion of repeating Ambedkar’s name.”

Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge’s motion, comes just a day after Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O’Brien submitted a similar notice, accusing Mr Shah of demeaning Dr Ambedkar and belittling the contributions of Opposition. 

“I hereby give a notice of question of privilege against Shri Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs under Rule 188 of Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha),” Mr Kharge said in his notice. “It is well established that any misconduct in the presence of the House or casting reflections and making defamatory statements constitute a breach of privilege and contempt of the House.”

The Home Minister’s remarks have sparked uproar both within and outside Parliament, as the Opposition accuses the BJP of showing disrespect to Ambedkar’s legacy.

The fallout from Mr Shah’s remarks spilt onto the Parliament premises. Competing marches by Opposition and BJP-led MPs allegedly escalated into physical altercations. BJP MP Pratap Sarangi sustained a forehead injury after an alleged push by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the chaos. Mr Sarangi was rushed to a hospital, where he reportedly received stitches to stop the bleeding.

Rahul Gandhi refuted the BJP’s allegations, claiming instead that it was Congress leaders who were pushed and threatened by ruling party members. 

“I was trying to go inside but BJP MPs were trying to stop me; they pushed me away and threatened me. But we do not get affected by this jostling. This is Parliament and we have the right to go inside,” he said.

The BJP, however, accused Mr Gandhi of deliberately pushing an “aged parliamentarian,” leading to Mr Sarangi’s injury.