BJP tears into Rahul, says doesn't deserve to be LoP

ACCUSING Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of pushing and shoving its MPs on the Parliament premises, the BJP on Thursday said he does not deserve to be the Leader of Opposition after such "indecent and shameful" conduct.

- RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @New Delhi

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters hours after unprecedented scenes of unruliness unfolded during protests by the ruling and opposition parties, Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan squarely blamed Gandhi for the fracas.

"Rahul Gandhi does not deserve to hold the post of the Leader of Opposition," Chouhan said as he slammed the Congress leader's behaviour and alleged it is against India's cultural ethos.

Gandhi has rejected the BJP's charge that he pushed its MPs and alleged that the ruling party MPs "stopped, threatened and intimidated" him.

Chouhan said the party was also pained at the treatment meted out to its tribal MP from Nagaland S Phangnon Konya, who alleged in the Rajya Sabha that Rahul Gandhi shouted at her after coming in "close proximity" that made her feel uncomfortable during a demonstration outside the Parliament's Makar Dwar.

"Will physical strength be used in Parliament? Will musclemen and goondas come to Parliament? In which direction is the Congress taking the country's democracy?" asked the BJP leader, who was flanked by Union minister Piyush Goyal and party MPs Anurag Thakur and Anil Baluni.

BJP MPs - Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput - were injured in the melee and hospitalized as the ruling and opposition MPs allegedly marched towards each other minutes before the start of the parliamentary proceedings.