Ambedkar Debate: Unprecedented Fracas In Parl, 2 BJP MPs Hurt

New Delhi: The acrimonious face-off between the Opposition and ruling NDA over alleged insult to B R Ambedkar took an unprecedented ugly turn in Parliament premises on Thursday with claims of pushing and shoving involving MPs, leaving two BJP members hospitalised and a woman BJP MP accusing Rahul Gandhi of "misbehaving" with her.

The BJP charged the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha with pushing an MP leading to injuries to two of its lawmakers, but Gandhi denied it and said it was he who was pushed by a ruling party member while Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also accused protesting BJP members of shoving him and injuring his knees.

Both sides lodged complaints at Parliament Street police station, blaming each other for what must be a sordid incident without parallel involving MPs within the premises of Parliament. They also complained to the respective Chair in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha against each other.

BJP MPs Mukesh Rajput and Pratap Chandra Sarangi sustained injuries and were admitted to the RML hospital, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking to them over phone to enquire about their health. The hospital's Medical Superintendent Dr Ajay Shukla said they had sustained head injuries.

"We have filed a complaint against Mr Rahul Gandhi for physical assault and incitement," BJP MP Anurag Thakur told mediapersons outside the police station. A number of MPs of the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance were protesting at the steps of Parliament's 'Makar Dwar', an entrance and exit reserved for lawmakers, against the Congress' alleged insult of Ambedkar, while MPs from the Congress and its allies were demonstrating over Union Minister Home Amit Shah's remarks on Ambedkar and accused the BJP of slighting the archi-tect of the Constitution.

BJP MPs claimed that Gandhi tried to push his way inside Parliament through the middle of the stairs where they were standing, ignoring a side passage, and caused injuries in the ensu-ing jostling. However, some opposition MPs claimed that the BJP members refused to give way to Gandhi who was heading to the Lok Sabha to attend the House proceedings.

Rejecting the BJP members' charge, Gandhi told reporters, "I was trying to enter Parliament and the BJP MPs were stopping me, pushing me and threatening me." The incident happened some minutes before both Houses were to convene at 11 am. The 69-year-old Sarangi, a BJP member from Balasore in Odisha and a former minister, suffered injuries on the left temple.