New Delhi [India], December 20 : Several BJP MPs launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his alleged behaviour during a ruckus in Parliament on Friday, accusing the Leader of Opposition of "arrogance," "violating parliamentary rules," and a "shameful attitude" towards fellow MPs.
BJP MP Anurag Thakur condemned Gandhi's actions, saying, "The arrogance of Rahul Gandhi that was seen yesterday and his attitude towards his fellow MPs is very unfortunate. The way he created a ruckus by violating all the rules and instead of going on the designated path, he deliberately took his supporters along and created a ruckus... this is not forgivable. Can a leader of the opposition go with this thinking? When he (Rahul Gandhi) was taken to the injured, forget about asking about their well-being, forget about apologizing, arrogance was visible on his face... His (Rahul Gandhi's) statement was that pushing and shoving keeps happening. This makes it clear that his thinking is that you can do anything to anyone, and nothing is going to happen to us."
BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj also slammed Gandhi for ignoring repeated warnings from security forces.
She said, "The public representative is the biggest sentinel of democracy, but Rahul Gandhi and all the members of the INDIA alliance have forgotten this. Just by showing the Constitution, you do not become the protector of the Constitution. Yesterday, the security forces repeatedly urged Rahul Gandhi to take an alternate route. He (Rahul Gandhi) knew that a peaceful protest was going on, yet he deliberately and maliciously pushed and passed through the midst of all our MPs who were peacefully protesting there... Two of our colleagues have been seriously and deeply injured... Along with this, he should also apologise for the shameful attitude he adopted with our Nagaland MP Phangnon Konyak."
BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi expressed concern over the injuries sustained by two senior MPs. She said, "Something which happened in Parliament yesterday should not have happened. We strongly condemn it. There are two issues which I would like to highlight: two very senior MPs have been hospitalized and are still under doctors' observation. This is extremely unfortunate. We are all supposed to hold the decorum and dignity of Parliament."
"The woman MP from Nagaland felt uncomfortable in the presence of Rahul Gandhi, and it is her statement in Rajya Sabha. This is extremely unfortunate. We condemn this," the BJP MP added.
Further BJP MP Jagdambika Pal accused Congress MPs of "hooliganism" and alleged that Gandhi pushed BJP MPs Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput. He said, "Rahul Gandhi should be ashamed. His party (Congress) insulted Babasaheb for the last 60 years... Today, democracy has been attacked, and the Adivasi daughter was insulted. Apology should be sought, and if he has morality, he should resign."
The BJP has demanded an apology from Gandhi, raising concerns over the incident's impact on parliamentary decorum.
Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die shortly after proceedings began on Friday, a day after the massive scuffle in Parliament. Rajya Sabha was also adjourned until noon.
Before Lok Sabha adjourned, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal moved a motion to refer two bills concerning "One Nation, One Election" to a Joint Committee of the two Houses. The motion, which included the names of 27 Lok Sabha members, was approved amid the uproar. The committee will also have 12 Rajya Sabha members and will submit its report by the last week of the next session.
Speaker Om Birla underlined the collective responsibility of maintaining Parliament's dignity and said protests at Parliament's "dwars" were inappropriate. He warned of appropriate action in case of violations.