Congress Slams FIR Against Rahul Gandhi, Says Defending Ambedkar's Legacy A 'Badge Of Honour'

The Congress on Friday described the first information report (FIR) against Rahul Gandhi, related to the scuffle in Parliament, as a "diversionary tactic" aimed at deflecting attention from his strong criticism of Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on BR Ambedkar.

In a post on X, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal called the FIR against Rahul Gandhi for defending Babasaheb Ambedkar's legacy a "badge of honour."

Photo Credit: PTI

"The FIR against Shri Rahul Gandhi ji is nothing but a diversionary tactic in response to his staunch protest against the Home Minister," Venugopal wrote in his post.

"A case against him for defending Babasaheb's legacy is a badge of honour. And in any case, Rahul ji is already facing 26 FIRs due to the BJP's political vendetta, and this latest FIR will not stop him or the Congress from standing up against the casteist RSS-BJP regime."

Venugopal also criticised the Delhi Police for acting on the BJP's complaint but ignoring complaints from Congress women MPs.

"At the same time, why has the Delhi Police not acted on the FIRs filed by women MPs of INC against the BJP leaders who physically assaulted them?" he asked.

FIR Against Rahul

The Delhi Police registered an FIR against Rahul Gandhi on Thursday regarding the scuffle in Parliament, during which two BJP MPs were injured.

The BJP lodged a complaint at the Parliament Street Police Station, accusing Rahul Gandhi of "physical assault and incitement" during the incident and calling for charges including attempt to murder.

The complaint was filed by BJP MP Hemang Joshi, accompanied by Anurag Thakur and Bansuri Swaraj. Gandhi has been charged under sections 117 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 125 (acts endangering life or personal safety), 131 (use of criminal force), 351 (criminal intimidation), and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

In response, the Congress filed its own complaint at the same police station, alleging BJP leaders had misbehaved with Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, injuring his knee, and demanded an FIR under sections for "assault, grievous hurt and battery."

Scuffle in Parliament

The altercation occurred on Thursday near the Makar Dwar steps of Parliament, an entrance reserved for lawmakers, as members of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) staged concurrent protests over Amit Shah's statement on BR Ambedkar.

The confrontation resulted in injuries to two BJP MPs and claims of intimidation by Rahul Gandhi.

The Congress dismissed the allegations, asserting that BJP members blocked Gandhi's path and shoved Kharge.

"They pushed our leader, injuring him in the knee," a Congress representative said.