New Delhi: Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman lashed out at Rahul Gandhi on Thursday after BJP MP from Nagaland, Phangnon Konyak, accused the Leader of Opposition (LoP) of misbehaving with her. Coming down heavily on Gandhi’s actions, Sitharaman took to X and asked, “The young MP from Nagaland has written about the brazen misconduct of the LoP Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha. She spoke about it in the RS too. Does the INC India approve of this?” 

For the unversed, Nagaland BJP MP Phangnon Konyak filed a complaint with the Rajya Sabha Chairman, alleging inappropriate behaviour by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during protests staged by both the BJP and Congress outside Parliament. Konyak accused Gandhi of standing uncomfortably close, which she claimed caused her distress. 

What BJP MP Phangnon Konyak Alleged?

Konyak accused Rahul of inappropriate behaviour by standing too close and causing discomfort during simultaneous protests by the BJP and Congress outside Parliament earlier in the day. “I was standing just below Makar Dwaar’s staircase with a placard in my hand. The Security Personnel had cordoned and created a passage to the entrance right for the moment of Hon’ble MP’s of other parties. Suddenly, the Leader of the Opposition, Shri Rahul Gandhi Ji along with other party members came in front of me despite there being a passage created for them,” Konyak’s letter read. 

The MP added,”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.”

‘The Woman MP Came to Me Crying’

Acknowledging her letter, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar stated that he is looking into the matter. “The woman MP came to me crying. I have the information. The MP met me. I am discussing this. She was in a state of shock. I am paying attention to this matter,” Dhankar said. 

Tensions flared outside Parliament today as both the BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led INDI alliance held competing protests, each accusing the other of disrespecting Dr Ambedkar. The dispute was sparked after Congress alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had disrespected Ambedkar during his speech in the Rajya Sabha.

Amid the protests, a BJP MP was injured, with the party alleging that Rahul Gandhi pushed another MP into him. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge also claimed to have suffered knee injuries after being pushed by BJP lawmakers.