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New Delhi: The ongoing row over Rajput ruler Rana Sanga spilled over into Parliament on Friday, with governing BJP condemning the remark of SP Rajya Sabha member Ramji Lal Suman that Sanga had invited Babur to India, and the Samajwadis and Congress alleging that Suman and other Dalit and tribal representatives were being targeted in UP at the instance of BJP. While Lok Sabha witnessed a minor skirmish over the issue, the clash was protracted in Rajya Sabha. During zero hour in LS, Jaipur rural MP Rao Rajendra Singh called Sanga a synonym of valour and sought to condemn Suman’s statement but SP members led by Dharmendra Yadav protested.
BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad said the nation would not tolerate insult to great warriors. Later, Dharmendra sought to raise an issue relating to a Muslim MP in the last LS but was refused permission. As soon as proceedings began in RS, slogan-shouting BJP members rose to their feet to demand an apology from Suman.
Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar called Rana Sanga “a symbol of chivalry and patriotism,” and criticised Suman’s remarks.“Our problem is that because of technology whatever we expunge is expunged only in our record. Social media gives traction to it,” he said.
Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju condemned Suman’s statement as an insult to the nation. Leader of opposition in RS Mallikarjun Kharge said Congress respected all patriots but condemned attacks on Suman’s house, while warning that such “anti-Dalit actions will not be tolerated”. This provoked BJP members, who accused Kharge of “unnecessarily bringing the caste and Dalit card into play”.
Commerce minister Piyush Goyal criticised Kharge for trying to “give a caste twist” to the issue. Suman got up to speak but BJP MPs started shouting slogans, which led the chair to adjourn the proceedings till noon. Dharmendra later told TOI that he wanted to highlight that SC/ST/OBC and Muslims representatives are under attack from BJP.
He said Danish Ali was insulted in the House by a BJP member in the 17th LS, and now Suman’s house was attacked in Agra while the UP chief minister was in the city. He said days earlier, Robertsganj MP Chhotelal, a tribal, was attacked by BJP workers during an official meeting in Chandauli. Stay updated with the latest India news , weather , and Air Quality Index (AQI) updates for major cities like Delhi , Mumbai , Noida , and Bangalore on Times of India .
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