Parliament Gate Protests Banned by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla
Amid the commotion in the Parliament complex, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday issued firm directives prohibiting any political party, MP, or group of members from staging protests or demonstrations at the Parliament House gate. Both the ruling party and the opposition staged parallel protests outside Parliament on Thursday morning in response to the move.
The ruling BJP Members of Parliament were demonstrating in the Parliament complex against the Congress party for allegedly 'insulting' Babasaheb Ambedkar. Members of Parliament from the India Block, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, held a demonstration within the Parliament grounds calling for the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah due to his comments about Babasaheb Ambedkar.
Leaders from both parties accused each other of engaging in pushing and shoving during the incident, resulting in injuries to two BJP MPs, Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput. Both MPs were subsequently admitted to Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital for treatment.
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan accused Rahul Gandhi of acting like a "goonda" and intentionally creating chaos during the protest by BJP MPs at the Parliament gates, which resulted in a scuffle with the opposition.
Speaking at a press conference at the BJP headquarters, Chouhan criticized Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, accusing them of displaying a lack of accountability and respect through their actions. However, he alleged that Rahul Gandhi insisted on entering through the core area, intentionally causing disruption and ignoring security protocols.
Chauhan said, "Congress President Kharge and Rahul Gandhi had a press conference here a little while ago. We were hoping that they would apologize for their actions in Parliament, but instead, their arrogance was fully displayed. I have been a member of both the Lok Sabha and the Legislative Assembly many times, and I have observed the conduct and behavior of MPs and MLAs. What I saw in Parliament today was unimaginable. Congress has also been protesting in the past few days. When they were protesting at the Makara gate, we (the ruling coalition) were entering Parliament through the other entrance."
He stated, "Rahul Gandhi intentionally attempted to pass through the gate where BJP MPs were demonstrating, despite security efforts to stop him.".
In the meantime, accusing the BJP of being "against Ambedkar and the Constitution," Rahul Gandhi said on Thursday that BJP MPs tried to stop him when he attempted to enter the Parliament premises after his protest. He claimed that the ruling party was using such tactics to divert attention from the Adani issue and Amit Shah's comments regarding B.R. Ambedkar. Rahul Gandhi accused the ruling party's MPs of deliberately obstructing the opposition's efforts to raise issues in Parliament.
[Agency]