A day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was booked following a heated altercation in Parliament with BJP-led NDA members, the Congress on Friday hit back, calling it a “diversionary tactic.”
The case comes in the wake of Gandhi’s strong objections to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s controversial remarks about Dr BR Ambedkar.
“Rahul ji is already facing 26 FIRs due to the BJP’s political vendetta”, Congress lashed out. Taking to X , Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal called the FIR a mere distraction. “The FIR against Shri Rahul Gandhi ji is a diversionary tactic to his staunch stand against the Home Minister,” he wrote.
Venugopal went a step further, terming the case a “badge of honour.” He added, ‘this latest FIR will not stop him or the Congress from standing up against the casteist RSS-BJP regime.”
He also questioned the Delhi Police’s priorities. “At the same time, why has the Delhi Police not acted on the FIRs filed by women MPs of INC against the BJP leaders who physically assaulted them?” he asked.
Why FIR has been filed against Rahul Gandhi?
The FIR was filed after a scuffle broke out on Thursday between ruling NDA MPs and the Opposition INDIA bloc at the Parliament’s Makar Dwar entrance. BJP MPs Pratap Chandra Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput alleged they were injured after being pushed by Rahul Gandhi. In response, Delhi Police booked Gandhi under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including those on voluntarily causing grievous hurt and criminal intimidation.
Meanwhile, Congress filed its own complaint, alleging that BJP MPs had pushed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to the ground, causing him injuries. The police are yet to act on this complaint.
The clash erupted on the penultimate day of the winter session as members from both sides accused each other of tarnishing Dr Ambedkar’s name. The heated exchange escalated to shoving and jostling, leaving tempers flaring and injuries on both sides.
What did Amit Shah say about Ambedkar?
Union Home Minister Amit Shah sparked the row with his remarks during the Rajya Sabha session. “Abhi ek fashion ho gaya hai – Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. Itna naam agar bhagwan ka lete toh saat janmon tak swarg mil jata (Saying Ambedkar’s name repeatedly has become a fashion. If they had taken God’s name this many times, they’d have secured a place in heaven).”