BJP MP from Nagaland alleges Rahul Gandhi 'misbehaved' with her during protest on Parliament premise
New Delhi, Dec 19: BJP MP from Nagaland S Phangnon Konyak on Thursday alleged in the Rajya Sabha that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi came in her "close proximity" and shouted at her during a protest outside the Parliament's Makar Dwar which made her feel "extremely uncomfortable".
"My dignity and self-esteem have been deeply hurt by LoP Shri Rahul Gandhi ji," she said in a communication to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar who said he would look into it.
The BJP cited Konyak's allegation and injuries to its two other MPs as it alleged that Gandhi pushed and shoved its members and indulged in "indecent" conduct during the incident, even as the Congress rejected the charges and Gandhi said that it was the ruling party MPs who "stopped, threatened and intimidated" him.
Several NDA MPs criticised Gandhi for his "misbehaviour" and sought action against him.
Supporting the Nagaland MP's claim in the Upper House, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju alleged the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha had pushed her and charged physically while entering Parliament during morning hours.
Leader of the house and BJP president JP Nadda slammed the Congress leader's conduct as "an act of physical and mental harassment".
The allegation was, however, countered by DMK member Tiruchi Siva who said that nothing as claimed by treasury bench members took place.
"Today while protesting, it was a peaceful protest. I was standing outside just below the staircase of Makar Dwar. Something happened to me for which I feel really disheartened. Leader of the opposition of Lok Sabha Shri Rahul Gandhi ji came very close proximity of me. I really felt very uncomfortable and he started shouting at me which I felt is very unbecoming of a leader of the opposition,” Konyak said.
She was speaking amid protests by opposition members who were demanding an apology from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging his remarks on Tuesday were an insult to B R Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution.
"His (Gandhi's) action was really bad and I feel disheartened and no lady member, let alone me, an ST member from Nagaland should not be made to feel like this. So I seek your protection for this letter for which I have already shared notice to you," Konyak said.
Minister Rijiju alleged Rahul Gandhi pushed two more members with such force that they were bleeding and have been hospitalised.
"This behaviour of the Congress party is shameful beyond our belief. We have numbers. We are not going to be afraid but we don't want to plummet the standard of Parliament by manhandling to this low.
"I plead to you all Congress members that the entire Congress should apologise to this house and the nation. This Parliament is not a wrestling arena.” Rijiju said.
He demanded that the entire Congress party should not only apologise to the Parliament but to the entire nation.
"The way Rahul Gandhi has beaten our two MPs, our MPs are agitated. Had we also manhandled in the same manner then what would have been the situation. ... We are not cowards but if our people will also start manhandling like Rahul Gandhi then how will democracy work,” Rijiju said.
At this, Nadda said that the discussion held on the Constitution in Parliament had exposed the Congress completely on how it twisted and misused it in the last 75 years and therefore the party members have "lost their mind".
"Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, in an undemocratic way, pushed our members who were protesting in a peaceful manner in which our two members were injured and are admitted to Ram Manohar Hospital...
"The way the leader of the opposition pushed our sister, Konyak, who is a member of the House, amounted to physical and mental harassment. It is a matter of privilege,” Nadda said.
Dhankar said that he has received communication from Konyak and she also met in his chamber.
"I am looking into it. She was literally in tears.... she could never believe that as a lady member she could suffer so much at the hands of another member of Parliament,” Dhankar.
DMK's Tiruchi Siva contested the claims made by the treasury bench members.
"This is the version of one side. There was a demonstration going on outside and Mr Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the other house, is a very senior person and he has complained that he was only pushed. We respect all elder members. We respect every woman in this country. Nothing has happened of that sort,” he said.
Dhankar repeated that Konyak had complained to him and was in tears.
Both the treasury bench and opposition members continued sloganeering during the statements made by treasury bench members.
The House was adjourned for the day after Siva spoke.
The alleged incidents occurred during a face-off between the opposition and NDA MPs in Parliament premises.
A number of MPs of the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance were protesting at the steps of 'Makar Dwar against the Congress' alleged insult of Ambedkar, while MPs from the Congress and its allies were demonstrating over Union Minister Home Shah's remarks on Ambedkar and accused the BJP of slighting the architect of the Constitution.
BJP MPs alleged that INDIA bloc members insisted on entering Parliament by passing through the BJP MPs who were holding a protest, instead of using the space left empty on one side of the staircase Makar Dwar, used by members to enter and exit the building.
In her letter to the Chairman, Phangnon Konyak said Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi along with other party MPs came in front of her despite there being a passage created for them by security personnel.
"He misbehaved with me in a loud voice and his physical proximity to me was so close that I being a lady member felt extremely uncomfortable. I stepped aside with heavy heart and renouncing my democratic rights but felt that no member of Parliament should behave this way (sic)," she alleged.
"I belong to the ST community and I am a lady member. My dignity and self-esteem have been deeply hurt by LoP Shri Rahul Gandhi ji. Therefore, Hon'ble Chairman sir, I seek your protection," she also wrote to the RS Chairman.
Addresing a press conference at BJP headquarters, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that the party was pained at the treatment meted out to its tribal MP.
“Will physical strength be used in Parliament? Will musclemen and goondas come to Parliament? In which direction is the Congress taking the country’s democracy?” said the BJP leader, who was flanked by Union Minister Piyush Goyal and party MPs Anurag Thakur and Anil Baluni.
"Rahul Gandhi does not deserve to hold the post of the Leader of Opposition," Chouhan said as he slammed the Congress leader's behaviour and alleged it is against India’s cultural ethos.
Member of Rajya Sabha and women ST leader from Nagaland @SPhangnon Ji has charged LoP of LokSabha Rahul Gandhi ji for deeply hurting her dignity and self-esteem. pic.twitter.com/ha8xYovjP5
— Aditya Trivedi (@AdityaTrivedi_) December 19, 2024
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Rajnath to top commanders: Outmaneuver adversaries with strategic surprise
Jaipur/New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday directed the top military commanders of the three services to integrate an "element of surprise" into modern warfare to outmaneuver India's adversaries and bolster strategic posture.
In his address at the joint commanders conference in Jaipur, Singh also described the Operation Sindoor as a testament to the "swift, precise, and joint response" of the Indian armed forces to safeguard national interests and called upon the military to remain ready to deal with any security challenges.
In their two-day deliberations, the commanders carried out a comprehensive review of the combat preparedness of the military in the wake of the evolving regional security situation.
Operation Sindoor was a demonstration of India's growing capabilities and a symbol of the nation's collective resolve and new military ethos, Singh said, a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
He also unveiled a 'Joint Doctrine for Integrated Communication Architecture' that is aimed at strengthening doctrinal clarity, interoperability and integrated communications across the armed forces in future multidomain operations.
The joint commanders' conference, themed 'Military Capability in New Domains', brought together the top leadership of the defence ministry and the three services to deliberate on emerging security challenges and future readiness.
Comprehensive deliberations were held on future warfare, multidomain operations, technological transformation and joint capability development.
The conference witnessed extensive discussions on cognitive warfare, cyber resilience against evolving quantum and AI-enabled threats, military capability development in emerging domains, indigenous innovation and AI-enabled warfighting concepts.
It was attended by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh among others.
In his remarks, Singh asked the commanders to remain "future-ready" by learning from the operation as well as the current global security landscape.
He underscored the need to strengthen capabilities in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, data analytics and secure communication networks to stay prepared in the rapidly evolving geopolitical security scenario. He emphasised that future conflicts will increasingly be shaped by hybrid threats, information dominance and operations conducted simultaneously across cyber, space, electromagnetic and cognitive domains, according to an official readout.
Highlighting the transformative impact of emerging technologies, Singh stressed on the importance of ensuring integrated national preparedness across all spectrums of conflict, it said.
Singh's remarks at the conference came a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
The defence minister appreciated the progress achieved in enhancing jointness, integration and technological adoption across the three services, the readout noted.
Singh said that jointness constitutes a pivotal dimension within the transformative changes sweeping across the global defence sector.
"Future wars will not be won solely through weaponry, but through innovative thinking and enhanced synergy," he said.
The defence minister exhorted the commanders to cultivate the "element of surprise" to remain unpredictable to the nation's adversaries and secure a strategic edge in any given situation.
He, however, urged them to remain vigilant of the element of surprise of the enemy and always stay two steps ahead.
Singh also reiterated the Narendra Modi government's commitment to enhancing the capabilities of the defence forces through state-of-the-art weapons and platforms. He added that special focus is being laid on research in niche domains.
During the conference, he released a documentary film on Operation Sindoor.
The film reaffirms the nation's and defence forces' commitment to operational preparedness and decisive national response capabilities.
Demonstrations of advanced systems and platforms developed for intelligence fusion, operational planning and information management were also showcased during the conference reflecting growing integration of cutting-edge technologies into joint operational structures, according to the defence ministry.
The discussions will contribute significantly towards shaping India's future military transformation and integrated operational preparedness, it said.
