"Pushing Around An MP Not 'Mardangi'": Kiren Rijiju's Swipe At Rahul Gandhi

Launching a volley against Rahul Gandhi for allegedly injuring two Members of Parliament from the BJP during the tussle on Thursday, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has said that "pushing around" an MP is not a sign of 'mardangi' (masculinity).

In an exclusive interview with NDTV on Friday, the Parliamentary Affairs minister said Thursday's incident involving Mr Gandhi, who is a Congress MP and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, was "avoidable".

The BJP has alleged that during the protest and counter-protest at one of the Parliament's gates on Thursday over Home Minister Amit Shah's 'fashion' remarks on BR Ambedkar, the Congress leader had pushed BJP MP Mukesh Rajput, who fell on fellow MP Pratap Sarangi, injuring both of them. The MPs were subsequently hospitalised.

Referring to the First Information Report registered against Mr Gandhi based on a BJP MP's complaint, Mr Rijiju said, "There are heated exchanges in words in the Parliament. It's been there since 1952, it's nothing new. But when an incident leads to injury and a police case, then it's very unfortunate. The police action is because of the injuries, which led to two MPs being admitted to hospital... It was avoidable, the Leader of Opposition should not get into physical mode."

Taking a dig on Thursday, the Union Minister had asked Mr Gandhi, who holds a black belt in Aikido, a Japanese martial art form, "Have you learnt karate, kung fu, to beat other MPs?"

Asked about this on Friday, Mr Rijiju said, "It is said martial arts are for self-defence. But I believe games, sports and martial arts are for physical well-being and a desire for fitness, not to hit somebody. But Rahul Gandhi coming to the Parliament in t-shirts and pushing around an old, fragile MP, that is not 'mardangi' (masculinity). That is not showing that you are a good parliamentarian. Muscle power is not the symbol of a good parliamentarian."

Mr Gandhi had denied that he had pushed anybody and said that BJP MPs were obstructing him. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had also claimed that he was pushed by BJP MPs and his knees were injured. When Mr Rijiju was asked about this, he said BJP MPs were protesting at the Makar Dwar (main gate) of Parliament and Rahul Gandhi tried to force his way in and pushed people around. 

'Did Not Use Our Numbers'

Mr Gandhi had denied that he had pushed anybody and said that BJP MPs were obstructing him. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had also claimed that he was pushed by BJP MPs and his knees were injured. When Mr Rijiju was asked about this, he said BJP MPs were protesting at the Makar Dwar (main gate) of Parliament and Rahul Gandhi tried to force his way in and pushed people around. 

"BJP MPs were also there in large numbers which could be intimidating, but they were very careful. Nobody tried to get physical, nobody tried to use force. We did not use our numbers for physical advantage, that is not something that you consider in a parliamentary democracy. Physical numbers are for voting, for running the house... not for hitting opponents. I never thought Rahul Gandhi would get into a physical mode like that. He started pushing around and two of our aged MPs got injured. It's very sad," he said.

Pressed about Mr Kharge's allegations, Mr Rijiju asserted, "He's not injured. He said his knee had a problem. How can you hit Kharge ji, such an old, respected man. Let us not get into too many things. Two MPs got admitted. They can't hit themselves, no? Somebody pushed them, Rahul Gandhi pushed them. That is very clear. So, there's no need to get into a blame game."

'Didn't Pass Bills In Din'

Mr Rijiju said many bills could not be passed because Parliament did not function for much of the winter session. "The output in the Lok Sabha was 54.5% and it was 40% in the Rajya Sabha, which is much below expectations. Since we had listed the bills in the House, we could have pushed them through, we have the numbers. But we believe in dialogue, we believe in discussion and debate. We did not push any bills in the din. In the past, many bills were passed during the din, without much discussion, when it was necessary. But this time we decided not to push any bills without discussion. A few bills were passed but then Congress began this unruly behaviour... Letting the House function is everyone's responsibility."

The Parliamentary Affairs minister said the ruling parties and the opposition decided to run the House after four days of disagreements but a case in the US "involving one Indian businessman" led to the Congress creating trouble in Parliament. "How can the Parliament be stalled just because some Indians are involved in court cases in some other countries," he asked.

On comments that it appears that the BJP is unwilling to accept Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Rijiju said that is not the case. 

In another jab at the Congress leader, the minister said, "Every MP has an equal right to speak in the House. Because of one Congress leader, many MPs have been deprived of that privilege. Which is why I told Congress MPs to tell their leader Rahul Gandhi not to be too obsessed with one businessman and prevent other MPs from speaking in the House." 

Amit Shah's Comments

Mr Rijiju emphasised that Amit Shah paid tributes to BR Ambedkar and highlighted his contributions but a portion of his speech was taken out of context and circulated.

"Mr Shah was talking about how we have devoted ourselves to carrying forward the legacy of Babasaheb Ambedkar and promoting his ideals. During the debate, he mentioned a line which was a reference to opposition parties continuously taking Ambedkar's name and misusing it. That portion was wrongly taken out - a video of maybe 12 seconds. That video was circulated and they wanted to create problems because in the debate it was very clear that the Congress had continuously insulted Ambedkar ji and they never paid any respect to him even after his demise," he said. 

"They were on the back foot and tried to mislead the nation," he stressed. 
On the no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Mr Rijiju said he was surprised to see senior members of the Congress making "frivolous mistakes".

"Any notice to remove the Vice President must accompany a resolution of the House. The resolution was never moved. A 14-day notice was not given, the notice was not addressed to anybody and even the name of the Vice President was wrongly spelt. The notice was not valid even on one count," Mr Rijiju sneered. 

In a message to the opposition, he said. "Sometimes the narrow political motives supersede the call of duty. It is an obligation on the part of every MP, especially the leaders, to look back and see that those wrong deeds are not repeated in the future."