Pratap Sarangi Accuses Rahul Gandhi of Misconduct, Says He 'Behaved Like a Bouncer, Not as LoP'

BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi has targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with the scathing remarks of "more of a bouncer than the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, where once doyens such as ex-prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee once occupied".

BJP MP Sarangi, who suffered injuries while he engaged in a brawl in parliament on 19 December, had filed in for reporting from a hospital on Monday.

"I am comparatively better now and was discharged from the hospital on December 28. I still need to be cautious as the stitch on my head has not fully healed," he said.

Recalling the incident, BJP MP Sarangi said, "It happened when we (BJP MPs) were standing near an entry gate, peacefully protesting against the insult of B.R. Ambedkar, holding placards."

Suddenly, Rahul Gandhi came with some of his party colleagues and started pushing people to move ahead. He was behaving like a bouncer, not like the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, a post once occupied by great personalities like Vajpayee ji," alleged Sarangi.

Pratap Sarangi claimed there was enough space near the gate for Rahul Gandhi to pass without causing disruption.

Rahul Gandhi pushed MP Mukesh Rajput, who was in front of him. Rajput ji fell on me, and my head might have hit the corner of a stone-like object. That's how the injury happened," said Sarangi.

When asked if Rahul Gandhi had expressed concern after the incident, Sarangi said, "Yes, he came near me after someone informed him of what had happened. However, he quickly left without showing any genuine concern. I recovered due to the blessings of Lord Jagannath.

The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were both adjourned after the Opposition staged protests demanding an apology from Amit Shah over his comments on B.R. Ambedkar.

Wearing blue as a mark of BR Ambedkar, MPs of the INDIA bloc, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, staged a protest outside the Parliament seeking resignation of Amit Shah over his comment on the chief architect of the Constitution.