New Delhi: Member of Parliament Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Federal parliamentary affairs minister on Thursday flatly rejected Kieron RijijuClaiming that she encouraged MPs who allegedly misbehaved in Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s chamber, she called the allegation a “lie” and insisted that no abuse took place.She said accusations that she incited protesting MPs were “completely false”, adding, “We did not abuse anyone.” A day earlier, Rijiju claimed that 20 to 25 MPs entered the speaker’s chamber, abused him and threatened the prime minister, although senior leaders present did not intervene.“They (MPs) are egging them on. If our MPs behave inappropriately towards anyone, our leaders will stop them. But their (Congress) leaders are inciting the lawmakers to quarrel,” Rijiju said.On Thursday, the federal minister shared what he said was an “illegal video clip” taken by an MP showing members of the opposition in the speaker’s chamber last week. MPs went there to protest bjp MP Nisikant Dubey’s remarks against former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.“This is an illegal video shot by an MP when 20 to 25 MPs entered the Speaker’s Chamber, insulted him and threatened the Prime Minister. Our party believes in debate and discussion and never encourages physical threats by MPs,” Rijiju said in a post accompanying the video.“We did not abuse anyone. One or two MPs were agitated and they expressed this. He also said that I was encouraging them, which is a lie. I sat quietly. Finally, I calmly said a few words to the Speaker,” Press Trust of India reported. The exchange marked the latest flashpoint between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress party at a time of heightened tensions in parliament. (Based on input from each agency)
