Congress party interim president Sonia Gandhi has filed a letter of complaint with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla saying party MPs were manhandled by the marshalls.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and the party’s leader in the Lok Sabha also alleged that women parliamentarians were “manhandled” in the Lok Sabha when they were protesting in the Well of the House over the Maharashtra government formation.
Congress members jostled with the marshals in the Lok Sabha when they stormed the Well of the House carrying placards, leading to adjournment of Parliament proceedings. “Security personnel manhandled our women parliamentarians. We have never experienced this inside Parliament. We will be waiting to see what action is been taken against responsible people,” Chowdhury told reporters.
Congress MP Hibi Eden added that the party had raised a very genuine issue (Maharashtra) in LS and protested in a democratic manner. “Unfortunately we were taken out by the marshals who tried to push us forcefully. We’ve filed complaint with the Speaker. We were in the well of the House, there is no contact with marshals unless they enter the well. They tried to take banners from us and our colleagues tried to resist it, our women colleagues were manhandled too.”
The BJP on Monday attacked the Congress for “unruly” behaviour of its MPs in Lok Sabha and asked all parties to come together to maintain Parliament’s sanctity and great tradition. Speaking to reporters, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad hit out at the opposition party soon after Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned due to vehement opposition by Congress members over the swearing-in of a BJP government in Maharashtra.
