Parliament scuffle: Who are MPs Pratap Sarangi, Mukesh Rajput, Phangnon Konyak?

The Parliament on Thursday (December 19) became witness to a scuffle among MPs that landed two of them in hospital and prompted a police complaint by the BJP against Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi and one by the Congress against BJP leaders — all while they tried to outshine each other in proving their respect for BR Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution.

The protests were sparked by a remark from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, made in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, that it has become “fashionable to chant Ambedkar’s name”, while taking a dig at the Congress’s narrative that the Constitution was under threat.

What happened in Parliament on Thursday?

While Opposition INDIA bloc MPs have been protesting every day for half an hour within the Parliament premises, the BJP also chose to protest on Thursday against the Opposition’s demand for an apology from Shah or his resignation.

The INDIA bloc MPs, dressed in blue, a colour associated with Ambedkar, started the day with a protest in front of Ambedkar’s statue in the Parliament premises, carrying posters that read “Main Bhi Ambedkar”, “Jai Bhim” and “Amit Shah maafi maango” (Amit Shah apologise).

Also read: Parliament LIVE | BJP MPs, armed with sticks, blocked us, says Rahul

Next, they took out a protest march on the Parliament premises. And that is when they came face to face with the protesting BJP-led NDA parliamentarians. The latter were also raising slogans with placards demanding an apology from the Congress for “insulting Ambedkar”.

As the two sides met in front of the Parliament’s Makar Dwar, they engaged in loud sloganeering in a clear attempt to outshout each other.

How scuffle broke out

But all hell broke loose when the INDIA bloc members allegedly insisted on entering Parliament cutting through the protesting BJP MPs instead of using the space left empty on one side of the staircase of the Makar Dwar. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, however, claimed later that there was no space for them to enter the House.

According to the BJP, while trying to enter the Parliament, Rahul pushed BJP MP Mukesh Rajput from UP’s Farrukhabad constituency, who fell on Odisha’s Balasore MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi, injuring both in the process. Rahul countered the charge saying “he pushed me” and walked off after having a cursory look at Sarangi, who was attended to by fellow BJP members.

“I was trying to enter the Parliament and the BJP MPs were stopping me, pushing me, and threatening me,” Rahul later told reporters in the Parliament premises.

Also watch: Chaos, scuffle and blood: As ugly as it can get in Parliament

Claims and counter-claims

On the other hand, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge was also allegedly pushed by BJP MPs. He lost his balance and reportedly fell down, injuring his knees that have already undergone surgery. He lodged a complaint with the Lok Sabha Speaker against the alleged unruly conduct of BJP MPs.

After that, both sides made a series of allegations and counter-allegations against each other, both suggesting the other was at fault. While the BJP lodged a police complaint against Rahul for the “physical assault”, Congress MPs lodged a complaint against BJP leaders over the “misbehaviour” with Kharge.

BJP MP from Nagaland, Phangnon Konyak, also filed a formal complaint with Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar against Rahul, alleging she was assaulted and intimidated by him during the protest.

The MPs who landed in hospital

Two BJP MPs — Mukesh Rajput and Pratap Chandra Sarangi — who were injured during the scuffle were rushed to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Delhi, where both are currently being treated in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

The 69-year-old Sarangi suffered injuries on the left temple of his forehead. Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who met Sarangi at the hospital along with fellow minister Pralhad Joshi, told reporters that Sarangi had received a few stitches to stop the bleeding.

Mukesh Rajput also suffered a head injury and reportedly fell unconscious due to high blood pressure. According to the hospital spokesperson, investigations such as CT scan are being done on them.

Also watch: Congress vs BJP: Protests, accusations of violence in Parliament

Who is Pratap Chandra Sarangi?

Balasore MP Sarangi is remembered for his alleged involvement in the 1999 Staines murder case in which Australian Christian missionary Graham Staines and his two minor children Philip and Timothy were allegedly burnt alive by the right-wing outfit Bajran Dal in their station wagon in Odisha. Sarangi was then the state unit chief of the Bajrang Dal.

In 2003, a lower court convicted Sarangi, Dara Singh, and 10 other Bajrang Dal workers of the triple murders. Singh was awarded a death sentence while the rest, including Sarangi, were given life terms. However, two years later, the Odisha High Court commuted Singh’s death sentence and freed the other 11 for lack of evidence.

In 2002, Sarangi was arrested in connection with an attack on the Odisha Assembly as well.

Sarangi, who holds a Bachelor degree from Fakir Mohan College, Balasore, worked as a head clerk at Nilgiri College in Balasore before entering politics. His political career reportedly began as a district-level volunteer of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He also worked for the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) apart from Bajrang Dal.

Also read: Amit Shah’s ‘Ambedkar’ remark adds fuel to Congress’s Constitution narrative

Sarangi has served as an MLA twice, for two consecutive terms from 2004 to 2014 from Nilagiri constituency. He has served as the Balasore MP since 2019. From 2019 to 2021, he served as the MoS for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Animal Husbandry, Dairying, and Fisheries.

Who is Mukesh Rajput?

Rajput (55), a three-time MP from Farrukhabad, is among the prominent Lodh leaders of UP and seen as close to former chief minister Kalyan Singh.

Rajput has served twice as the district panchayat president of Farrukhabad between 2000 and 2012. He became a giant killer in 2014 after defeating sitting MP and former Union minister Salman Khurshid.

He has a BSc degree from RP Degree College, Farrukhabad. According to his election affidavit, there are no criminal cases against him and he owns movable assets worth Rs 1.6 crore and immovable assets worth Rs 7.8 crore.

Who is Phangnon Konyak, who complained against Rahul?

Rajya Sabha MP from Nagaland, Phangnon Konyak, claimed she felt “very uncomfortable” when Rahul allegedly went close to her and yelled at her during the protest.

“LoP Rahul Gandhi came really close proximity of me, and I really felt uncomfortable, and he shouted at me which I feel is really unbecoming of the leader of Opposition. It is not that I cannot defend myself but still then it is really unbecoming,” she said in Rajya Sabha.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar said he had received a communication from Konyak and she had met him in his chamber. “I am looking into it. She was literally in tears,” he said in the House.

Phangnon made history in July 2023 when she became the first woman from Nagaland to be elected as a Rajya Sabha MP. She is also the second woman from Nagaland to be elected to either house of Parliament or the state assembly. Rajya Sabha nominated her to the panel of Vice Chairpersons on July 17 last year.

Konyak serves on the Committee on Transport, Tourism, and Culture, the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, and the Committee on Empowerment of Women. She is also part of the Governing Council of the North-Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences in Shillong.

Phangnon is from Dimapur, and she completed her schooling there before moving to Delhi, earning her Master’s degree in English Literature from Daulat Ram College. During her college years, she was reportedly active in student activism and social organizations before she went on to join the BJP.