BJYM holds protest, seeks Rahul’s apology

Bhubaneswar: The members of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the ruling BJP, on Thursday held a protest at the Master Canteen Square here over the scuffle on the Parliament premises in which two BJP MPs -- Pratap Chandra Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput -- sustained injuries.

The BJYM workers submitted that Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi should seek an apology for the unfortunate incident that occurred in Parliament on Thursday. The protesters also burnt the effigy of Rahul Gandhi. Odisha BJYM president Abhilash Panda said: “It will be etched in history how the highest temple of democracy was marked with blood stains by injuring a senior BJP leader. Let Rahul Gandhi apologise. The countrymen will always remember this violence and never forgive the Congress party.”

The BJP workers on Thursday also staged a demonstration at Sahadevkhunta Square in Balasore, condemning the Congress leader’s “action”, and accusing the party of indulging in “low-level politics” within the sacred premises of Parliament.

During the protest, the BJP activists burnt an effigy of Rahul Gandhi to express their anger and demanded accountability. Balasore MLA Manas Dutta said: “Such action in Parliament are unacceptable and reflect the degrading standards of politics by the Congress party.”

On the other hand, the Congress leaders and workers also staged a protest in Bhubaneswar on Thursday over the alleged disrespect of B R Ambedkar by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the Rajya Sabha recently. The protesters were demanding the resignation of Shah and apology for allegedly insulting B R Ambedkar.

It is pertinent here to mention that a heated confrontation unfolded on Parliament premises on Thursday during a protest by Opposition MPs alleging disrespect towards B R Ambedkar.

The incident escalated and BJP MP Pratap Sarangi accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of pushing an MP, causing a chain reaction that led Sarangi to fall and sustain a head injury.