New Delhi (PTI): Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday termed the BJP's allegations that her brother and party leader Rahul Gandhi pushed a BJP MP a "conspiracy to save Home Minister Amit Shah's skin". She also accused the ruling party MPs of indulging in "goondagardi" to stop peacefully protesting opposition members from entering Parliament.
A face-off between the opposition and NDA MPs in Parliament premises over the alleged insult to B R Ambedkar left BJP MPS Pratap Chandra Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput injured. The BJP accused Rahul Gandhi of pushing 69-year-old Sarangi, a charge rejected by the Congress leader.
Priyanka Gandhi said Rahul Gandhi, carrying B R Ambedkar's photograph and raising slogan of Jai Bhim, was peacefully going inside Parliament but was stopped from doing so.
"We have been protesting for so many days and there is always space for people to enter freely. Peaceful protests are taking place daily from 10.30 am to 11 am. Today, for the first time, they (BJP MPs) protested and stopped everyone and then indulged in pushing and 'goodagardi' (hooliganism)'," she told reporters in Parliament premises.
"And now to save Amit Shah's skin they have started this conspiracy that 'bhaiya' has pushed someone. Right before my eyes, Kharge ji was pushed and he fell on the ground. Then they pushed a CPI(M) MP who fell on Kharge ji. I thought it would have broken his leg as it was visible from his face that he was hurt," the Congress general secretary said.
She said a chair was brought for Kharge, 82, from somewhere and pointed out that peaceful protests had been going on from their side.
"This is a conspiracy. We challenged those who were stopping us to say 'Jai Bhim'. Why can't they raise the slogan of 'Jai Bhim'?" Priyanka Gandhi asked.
She also dismissed the BJP's claim that a passage was given to INDIA bloc MPs to enter Parliament and claimed that they were blocked from entering Parliament.
"We did not say anything, we kept raising our slogans and kept fighting for our Constitution. If people have any confusion that the BJP will protect the Constitution then that confusion should be over," she said.
Priyanka Gandhi claimed that the BJP's real feelings have come out in the open in Amit Shah's remarks.
"Their (BJP's) real feelings was in display here. They have violent intentions, they cannot say Jai Bhim. I challenge BJP MPs to stand here and say Jai Bhim," she said.
Earlier, in a post in Hindi on X, Priyanka Gandhi said, "BJP is repeatedly insulting Babasaheb, who gave the Constitution to the country, who gave rights to every citizen, who changed the lives of crores of Dalits and deprived people with his thoughts and actions."
"By insulting him, the BJP has insulted the sentiments of crores of Dalits and deprived people of the country. The BJP should apologize to the country," she said.
The opposition on Wednesday seized on Shah's remarks on Ambedkar to corner the government and demanded his resignation for what they called was an insult to the architect of the Constitution.
The attack from virtually all opposition parties, including the Congress, TMC, DMK, RJD, Left parties and Shiv Sena-UBT, led to the adjournment of both Houses of Parliament and prompted the BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to come out in stout defence of Shah.
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New Delhi (PTI): She came to the Supreme Court seeking a re-evaluation of her paper in the examination for joining judicial services as a magistrate. What she got instead was a rejection — and a candid confession by the Chief Justice that he too had wanted to join the judicial services in his youth but was advised by a senior judge to become a lawyer instead.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi on Friday dismissed a plea filed by Prerna Gupta, the judicial services aspirant.
As Gupta pressed her case, the CJI intervened and said, "Let me share my personal story and I hope you will go happily as we cannot allow your petition."
He recounted his time as a final-year law student in 1984 when he wanted to become a judicial officer. As per requirement, he cleared the written test and was set to appear for an interview.
Judicial services is one of the two routes to become a judge after initially joining as a magistrate in lower court and thereafter rising through the ranks to become judge in a high court and possibly the Supreme Court.
The other route is to join the Bar, which means becoming a lawyer, and after building a reputation be picked from the Bar to become a judge at a senior level.
By the time the CJI's exam results came out, he had started practising at the Punjab and Haryana High Court when he was called for the interview.
The senior-most judge on the interview panel happened to be a judge before whom he had recently argued two significant matters.
"One of the matters was Sunita Rani vs Baldev Raj, where he had allowed my appeal in a matrimonial case and set aside the decree of divorce granted by the District Judge on the ground of schizophrenia," he noted.
Before the interview could take place, the judge called the young Surya Kant to his chamber and asked, 'Do you want to become a judicial officer?'
"I said 'yes.' He immediately said, 'Get out from (my) the chamber.'"
The courtroom fell silent as the CJI Justice described his initial heartbreak.
“I came out trembling. All my dreams were shattered. I thought he had snubbed me and that my career was over,” the CJI said.
However, the story took another turn the following day and the judge summoned him again, this time offering a piece of advice that would change the trajectory of his life.
“He said, ‘If you want to become (a judge), you are welcome. But my advice is, don’t become a judicial officer. The Bar is waiting for you,’” Justice Surya Kant recalled.
The CJI said he decided to skip his interview and didn't even tell his parents at first, fearing their disappointment, and instead chose to dedicate himself to his practice as an advocate.
“Now tell me did I make a bad right or bad decision,” the CJI asked and the litigant lawyer left the court with a smile on her face despite her case being dismissed.
Encouraging the petitioner to look toward the future rather than dwelling on the re-evaluation of a single paper, Justice Surya Kant said, "The Bar has much to offer."
