Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has launched a scathing attack against Rahul Gandhi after an incident in Parliament left two BJP Members of Parliament injured. Rijiju said, “Pushing around” an MP does not define true masculinity as he stressed that such behaviour is unbecoming of a parliamentarian.
In an interview with NDTV, Rijiju termed the scuffle that broke out during a protest over Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks on BR Ambedkar “avoidable.” The BJP accuses its counterpart of pushing its MP Mukesh Rajput inside parliament, who then had to fall and injure his fellow MP Pratap Sarangi. They are both hospitalized after their hospitalization.
Sad the situation is. Argumentations and heated debates are on every day in Parliament. Nobody objects to that. But such kind of physical contact resulting in injuries cannot be accepted at all,” Rijiju said, adding that it was because of the “physical contact” that the police took action, slapping a First Information Report against Gandhi.
Taking a dig at Gandhi’s martial arts background, Rijiju asked if the Congress leader had learnt to use those skills against fellow MPs. He said that martial arts should promote fitness, not aggression, and that what Gandhi did—wearing casual clothes and physically assaulting an older MP—did not befit the qualities of a good parliamentarian.
Gandhi has denied any wrongdoing and said that BJP MPs obstructed him. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge corroborated this saying he too was pushed around and suffered knee injuries. The Union Law Minister countered it saying while BJP MPs were in big numbers, yet they showed decorum and did not resort to fisticuffs.
Rijiju expressed disappointment over the inability to pass numerous bills during the winter session, attributing the low productivity-54.5% in the Lok Sabha and 40% in the Rajya Sabha-to disruptions caused by the opposition. He stressed that the ruling party believes in dialogue and discussion, refraining from pushing legislation amid chaos.
He also spoke about the recent turmoil in Parliament, which he blamed on extraneous factors, and asked why the domestic legislative process should be held hostage to legal issues concerning Indian citizens abroad.
In a sharp attack on Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, Rijiju said one man’s action cannot deny the opportunity to raise their points to other MPs. He called upon the Congress members to persuade their leader to concentrate on the larger responsibilities arising out of the parliamentary duties than on his personal grievances.
He countered the criticism over Amit Shah’s comments about Ambedkar, saying that comments were out of context. Rijiju accused the Congress of politicizing the memory of Ambedkar when the party had shown disrespect to the leader throughout its history.
About the motion of no-confidence against Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, he said the Congress had done it all wrong, stating the notice submitted had no validity.
Emphasizing the responsibility of all MPs, Rijiju concluded that political motives should not overshadow the duty to maintain the integrity of parliamentary proceedings.
