Congress Alleges Lok Sabha Marshals Mistreated Women MPs, Sonia Gandhi Lodges Strong Complaint

Parliament protest by the Congress against the Narendra Modi government on the issue of Maharashtra crisis turned ugly after Lok Sabha Marshals reportedly shoved several leaders including women MPs from the Well of the House. Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi so miffed from the behaviour that she refused to take a seat while meeting Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and lodged her complaint while standing. “We are manhandled by the security staff. There’s no women security staff. We feel devastated, we feel humiliated,” Congress MP Jyotimani was quoted as saying.

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 said.

Congress MP from Tamil Nadu Jothimani alleged that she was "manhandled". "It is sad that Ramya Haridas and me were manhandled, we have lodged complaint with the speaker," she told reporters. PTI says Speaker Om Birla has sought an apology from two Kerala MPs -- P N Prathapan and MP Hibi Eden -- for storming the Well of the House. The Congress leaders were carrying placards with messages like "save Constitution" and "save democracy" and a black banner which said, "stop murder of democracy".  

Earlier, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said in the Lok Sabha that ‘democracy has been murdered in Maharashtra’. He made these remarks during Question Hour when Speaker Om Birla told him to ask a supplementary. “There is no question of asking question (in Question Hour) today. Democracy has been murdered in Maharashtra,” he said. In a dramatic turn of events in Maharashtra, President's Rule was lifted on Saturday morning, following which Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar were sworn in as chief minister and deputy chief minister, respectively, by the governor.

The development came hours after the new alliance of Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress arrived at a consensus that Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will be their chief ministerial candidate.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad blamed the Congress for the ‘unparliamentary’ behaviour. Prasad said that the Congress leader indulged in gross indisciplinary action.