Feeling Ambedkar row heat, BJP goes all out to corner Rahul Gandhi

As Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi tries to build a case against the BJP that the ruling party is trying to undermine the Constitution, the NDA is planning to involve him in a long drawn process by filing multiple complaints against the Gandhi scion.

While an FIR has already been lodged against Rahul for allegedly assaulted former Union minister Pratap Chandra Sarangi, the BJP-led NDA has decided to move a privilege motion against him for allegedly attacking a fellow parliamentarian, demanding his immediate suspension from the Lower House.

Privilege motion

Senior BJP leaders said the party wants to ensure that the police case and the privilege motion against Rahul is taken up seriously at the highest level and action initiated against the Congress leader.

Also read: Parliament LIVE | Delhi police book Rahul Gandhi for scuffle in House

“The BJP has submitted a petition to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla asking for the immediate suspension of Rahul Gandhi from the Lower House. A privilege motion filed by an MP against a fellow parliamentarian is a very serious issue and there is no doubt that the party and its allies would want the privilege committee to act against Rahul Gandhi. The police should also investigate the case and act on it,” a senior BJP leader from Lok Sabha told The Federal.

The BJP wants the Lok Sabha Speaker to consider the request for privilege motion against Rahul Gandhi in the next few days instead of waiting for the next session of Parliament so that the privilege committee could start investigating the issue.

Urban Naxal link

Even as the BJP and the Congress are slugging it out in Parliament and have levelled allegations of assault against each other, the newly formed Maharashtra government has indicated that it was preparing to investigate the Bharat Jodo Yatra, alleging that urban Naxals were involved in the foot march organised by the Congress.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has claimed that the state government has evidence of the involvement of urban Naxals in the Bharat Jodo Yatra and soon the state government will act on it.

“I fully support Fadnavis’ claim that urban Naxals were involved in organising the Bharat Jodo Yatra. I have been saying it since October 2022 when the Bharat Jodo Yatra was in Karnataka,” Lahar Singh Siroya, BJP MP from Karnataka, told The Federal.

Constitution debate

With Union Home Minister Amit Shah coming under fire from the Opposition parties over his controversial remarks against BR Ambedkar, NDA allies have stepped up in his defence, alleging that the INDIA bloc parties were twisting his statements.

Also read: ‘Manusmriti’ and Savarkar question: Where Rahul scored in Constitution debate

The first NDA partner to come out in Shah’s support was Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) led by Union minister Chirag Paswan who alleged that the Congress and other INDIA alliance parties were deliberately distorting Shah’s remarks for political gains.

“We are standing with the truth. The Home Minister did not say anything wrong against Ambedkar. The Congress has insulted Ambedkar by not giving him the Bharat Ratna and not allowing his picture to be put up in Parliament. What has Congress done in its 60 years of rule to acknowledge his contribution? It was only when the NDA came to power that Ambedkar was given Bharat Ratna,” AK Bajpai, national vice-president of LJP (Ram Vilas), told The Federal.

Political analysts believe Rahul Gandhi may not have deliberately pushed fellow parliamentarian Pratap Sarangi. “It is difficult to believe that Rahul Gandhi or any MP would physically assault another parliamentarian. The Ambedkar issue could have far-reaching political ramifications. It is possible that some over-enthusiastic MPs may have been involved in the face-off at Parliament,” Yatindra Sisodia, Director at Madhya Pradesh Institute of Social Science Research, Ujjain, told The Federal.