AGITATOR TO VICTIM & A BRUSH WITH GANDHI

PRATAP CHANDRA SARANGI

- SN AGRAGAMI

MID the melee and uproar at Makar Dwar of Parliament, the image of Pratap Chandra Sarangi, frail and bloodied, with a handkerchief pressed against his forehead, evoked a strange sense of irony. It felt as though the wheels of time had come to a full circle for the BJP MP from Balasore.

Twenty-two years ago, in March 2002, Sarangi had been at the heart of a different kind of storm—a violent protest in Bhubaneswar over the Ram Janmabhoomi issue. As part of the VHP, Bajrang Dal, and Durga Vahini agitation, Sarangi was among the 62 arrested after a mob stormed the Odisha Assembly, vandalising property, attacking chambers of then chief minister Naveen Patnaik and ministers, and clashing with security personnel. This, even when the BJP was in government in alliance with the BJD.

But on Thursday, Sarangi found himself on the other side—injured and at the receiving end of political chaos. The incident unfolded during a face-off between BJP and INDIA bloc MPs. Sarangi, who was standing on the stairs, was hit by a falling MP, allegedly pushed by LoP Rahul Gandhi. "I was standing near the stairs when Rahul Gandhi came and pushed an MP, who then fell on me," Sarangi said.