Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge has been added to the 'injury list' following a physical confrontation Thursday between MPs from the ruling party and those from the opposition.
In a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Mr Kharge said he was "pushed by BJP MPs... (and) forced to sit down on the ground". "This inflicted (an) injury on my knees, which have undergone surgery."
"Subsequently, Congress MPs brought me a chair and I was made to sit on it. With great difficulty, and with support from my colleagues, I limped to the House at 11 am," Mr Kharge said.
Mr Kharge, 82, was operated on his left knee in June 2017 at Delhi's AIIMS.
The Congress leader - who has directed counterattacks at the BJP and Home Minister Amit Shah after the latter's "Ambedkar is the fashion" quip in Parliament this week - called on Mr Birla to order an inquiry into the assault "not just on me... but also Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha".
Protests, counterprotests, brawls, and a police case - against Rahul Gandhi - roiled Parliament this morning after the BJP and the opposition, led by the Congress, faced off over Mr Shah's remark.
The BJP has claimed two of its MPs - Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput - were "seriously injured" by Mr Gandhi. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju launched a withering attack on Rahul Gandhi, declaring, "... how can he use force in Parliament? "Have you learnt kung fu to beat other MPs?"
The ruling party has said it plans to file a police case against Mr Gandhi.
Mr Gandhi, meanwhile, has flatly denied he caused any injury to Mr Sarangi or Mr Rajput, telling reporters it was he, and his colleagues, including Mr Kharge, who had been physically assaulted as they tried to enter Parliament this morning. "I was trying to go inside... but BJP MPs were trying to stop me; they pushed me away and threatened me... we have the right to go inside," he said.
READ | BJP To File Police Case Against Rahul Gandhi After MPs Allege Injury
One of the injured BJP MPs, Mr Sarangi, said he fell and hurt his head after a third person (unidentified at this time) fell on him. Mr Sarangi said Mr Gandhi had pushed this third person.
All of this follows the remark about Dr BR Ambedkar, which prompted a ferocious attack from an opposition that smells blood. The opposition wants Mr Shah to apologise for his remark and has called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi sack his No 2, one of the most powerful figures in the BJP.
READ | "If PM Respects Ambedkar...": Congress' Kharge Targets Amit Shah
The ferocity of the opposition's attack appears to have unsettled the ruling party; both Mr Modi and Mr Shah, and other members of the Union Cabinet, have made public statements on the row.
On Wednesday evening a combative Mr Shah declared his rivals had "distorted facts" after being stung by "examples of how the Constitution was attacked and wounded by the Congress (when in power)".
READ | "Congress Anti-Ambedkar, Twisted My Words": Amit Shah Responds
That was shortly after the PM said, "If the Congress and its rotten ecosystem think malicious lies can hide their misdeeds of several years, especially their insult towards Dr Ambedkar, they are mistaken!"
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