BJP leaders accuse Rahul Gandhi of 'act of vandalism', call for strict action

Parliament has become a "space for wrestlers and goons", Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Thursday as he accused Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi of assaulting two Bharatiya Janata Party MPs in the Parliament complex even as his party colleagues sought "statutory action" against the Congress leader for his act of "vandalism".

- Dheer Chawla

Calling Gandhi's behaviour "indecent and shameful", Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said the Rae Bareli MP did not deserve the post of Leader of Opposition. "This behaviour is unimaginable," Chouhan said. "Our elderly, poor, decent and disciplined MP Pratap Sarangi fell down and sustained a serious injury in the head. He is admitted to ICU and undergoing treatment. Mukesh Rajput was unconscious when I went to see him," he said.

The controversy erupted earlier in the day when members of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) were holding concurrent protests over the legacy of BR Ambedkar. Chaos broke out as the two sides came face to face.

The BJP alleged two of its lawmakers – Farrukhabad MP Mukesh Rajput and Balasore MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi – sustained injuries when Gandhi shoved them while making his way inside Parliament.