What started as protests over Ambedkar row in the parliament on Thursday (December 19) soon devolved into a full-blown mayhem in the parliament premises. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and MPs of INDIA bloc held separate protests in the morning. But soon, media outlets reported a 'scuffle' between the MPs of the ruling party and the opposition with BJP blaming that Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi pushed BJP MP Pratap Sarangi. Gandhi in turn, blamed that it was Sarangi who pushed him and that BJP MPs were stopping him from entering the parliament.
A video of a heated verbal exchange between Rahul Gandhi and BJP MPs gathered around an injured Sarangi has been posted by the Press Trust of India (PTI)
In the video, Rahul Gandhi can be seen approaching Pratap Sarangi, who is seated in the middle of a small group of BJP MPs who are trying to calm him following the injury. The MPs can be seen confronting Rahul Gandhi angrily.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey: Aren't you ashamed? Gundagardi karte ho, boodhe ko gira diya jaata hai.
Rahul Gandhi can be heard asking "kya hua?" and attempting to walk towards Sarangi. After a few heated words, Gandhi can be heard as saying, "He [Sarangi] pushed me" to which there is a collective cry of "No!" from the BJP MPs.
Watch the video below.
Odisha BJP MP Pratap Sarangi injured in Parliament!
— Nabila Jamal (@nabilajamal_) December 19, 2024
Blames Rahul Gandhi for the injury "I was standing near the stairs when Rahul Gandhi pushed an MP, who then fell on me"
Scuffle erupted during a face-off on BR Ambedkar outside the parliament. BJP MPs confront @RahulGandhi pic.twitter.com/y4vPdmM05D
What is the Ambedkar controversy?
The controversy was stoked by Home Minister Amit Shah's reference to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar as he lashed out at Congress inside the parliament. At the time, Shah said it had become a 'fashion' for Congress to take Ambedkar's name.
"If they had taken the name of God so many times instead of Ambedkar then they would have got heaven for seven lives," Shah said.