The last session of the 2024 has turned acrimonious. What should have been an example of the best parliamentary values on the occasion of 75 years of the Constitution, the session would be remembered for the wrong reasons.
In a bizarre turn of events, two BJP MPs were injured as unruly scenes were witnessed inside the parliament complex. The ruling party accused the Congress MPs particularly the leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, of pushing and shoving while trying to make their way inside the parliament. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused the BJP members of pushing him and he fell on the ground.
These unprecedented scenes were witnessed in the parliament on the penultimate day of the winter session, ironically days after both the houses debated the 75 years of glorious journey of the Constitution. Both sides have filed complaints and the Delhi Police have registered an FIR in the case.
Gandhi said the ruling party was trying to divert attention from the Adani issue and the disrespect to Dr BR Ambedkar.
The acrimony between the two sides has only exacerbated since the start of the session, beginning with protests on the Adani issue to shift to alleged disrespect to Ambedkar by Home Minister Amit Shah in his speech in the Rajya Sabha. Shah has accused the Congress of distorting his statement to mislead the people.
The scuffle took place on Thursday when the BJP and opposition MPs marched towards each other over Shah’s comments on Ambedkar. The two groups came closer, and tempers flew, resulting in a melee, agencies reported. BJP MPs Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput suffered injuries as they fell.
Addressing a press conference, Rahul Gandhi said the BJP MPs were carrying “sticks” and prevented him from going inside the house.
Countering his claims, senior BJP ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Piyush Goyal addressed a press conference demanding action against Rahul Gandhi. They said they would take all legal remedies inside and outside the house.
In a related incident, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said that he received a communication from BJP Phangnon Konyak, where she claimed that she was misbehaved with by Rahul Gandhi.
As both sides made counter complaints to the chairs, the matter now be examined according to the parliamentary norms. The BJP may push for revocation of Rahul's membership from the house. The police can only conduct inquiries after seeking permission from the Lok Sabha speaker.
These unexpected events have accentuated the divisions between the ruling BJP and the Opposition parties. All the Opposition parties have come together on the issue of alleged disrespect to Ambedkar and aim to turn that into a national issue by organising protests. AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal has even written to BJP allies Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu asking them to take a stance on the Ambedkar issue.
The Ambedkar issue can be crucial during the Bihar elections if it extends that far as elections are due next year in October- November.
