Ambedkar remark row: Opposition, BJP MPs scuffle in Parliament

A faceoff between the opposition and NDA MPs in Parliament premises over the alleged insult to B R Ambedkar left former minister Pratap Chandra Sarangi injured The BJP accused Rahul Gandhi of pushing the senior member a charge rejected by the Congress leaderTrouble began when the 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 buildingLaw Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said BJP MP Mukesh Rajput was also injured in the melee Sarangi a BJP member from Balasore in Odisha suffered injuries on the left temple of his forehead BJP member Nishikant Dubey accused Gandhi of pushing the senior leaderRejecting the BJP membersrsquo charge Gandhi told reporters ldquoI was trying to enter Parliament and the BJP MPs were stopping me pushing me and threatening merdquoMeanwhile 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 surgeryBoth the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were adjourned following noisy protests by the opposition seeking an apology from Home Minister Amit Shah for his remarks on B R AmbedkarMPs stage protestINDIA bloc MPs including Kharge and Gandhi staged a protest in the Parliament premises demanding Amit Shahrsquos resignation for his remarks related to the chief architect of the ConstitutionBJPled NDA parliamentarians also carried out protests within Parliament premises raising slogans and carrying placards demanding an apology from the opposition Congress for allegedly insulting AmbedkarAs the INDIA bloc parliamentarians came face to face with the ruling coalition MPs in front of the Makar Dar of Parliament the two sides engaged in loud sloganeering in a bid to outdo each otherThe INDIA bloc members first staged a protest at B R Ambedkarrsquos statue in Parliament premises carrying posters that read lsquoMain Bhi Ambedkarrsquo lsquoJai Bhimrsquo and lsquoAmit Shah maafi maangorsquo2 BJP MPs admitted to ICUFollowing the faceoff two BJP MPs suffered head injuries and were admitted to the ICU of the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New DelhiBJPrsquos MPs Sarangi and Rajput were brought to the hospital from Parliament with head injuries the hospitalrsquos Medical Superintendent Dr Ajay Shukla said ldquoSarangi was bleeding profusely He had a deep cut on his forehead and it had to be stitchedrdquo the doctor saidldquoRajput also had a head injury immediately after which he lost consciousness However the MP was in his senses when he was brought to the hospitalrdquo Dr Shukla saidBoth sides file police complaintThree NDA MPs including Anurag Thakur and Bansuri Swaraj have filed a police complaint against Rahul Gandhi accusing him of being involved in ldquophysical assault and incitementrdquo during a scuffle at Parliament an officer said Thakur and Swaraj accompanied by a TDP MP met the officers at the Parliament Street Police Station and gave a written complaintldquoWe have filed a complaint against Mr Rahul Gandhi for physical assault and incitementrdquo Thakur told media A delegation of Congress MPs including Digvijaya Singh Mukul Wasnik Rajiv Shukla and Pramod Tiwari also filed a police complaint alleging BJP leaders misbehaved with its chief Kharge ldquoEightyfouryearold Dalit leader Mallikarjun Kharge was pushed and misbehaved with We have come here to file a complaint against this actrdquo Tiwari told the mediaThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever