Sonia Gandhi 'tried to grab collar': BJP MP rakes up 2012 controversy

In a fiery session of the Lok Sabha focused on the Women's Reservation Bill, BJP Member of Parliament Nishikant Dubey raked up a 2012 controversy claiming that Congress leader Sonia Gandhi "tried to grab collar" and physically confronted a Samajwadi Party member during a parliamentary debate over the proposed bill seeking to provide reservation in government job promotions.

Nishikant Dubey, the MP from the Indian state of Jharkhand, representing Godda parliament seat, opened the debate on behalf of the ruling party.

"When I talk about the Bill to bring reservation in promotion, all those in these benches will be up on their feet. (Congress minister) V Narayanasamy was presenting the Bill. Samajwadi Party's Yashvir Singh was a Scheduled Caste MP; these people talk about Scheduled Castes and Tribes. Yashvir Singh had snatched the papers from Mr Narayanasamy," he said.

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"In this Lok Sabha, Sonia Gandhi had then tried to grab his (Yashvir Singh) collar. I had then told her, 'You are not the dictator here, you are not the queen, you cannot fight here'," Dubey added. "Mulayam Singh Yadav had then said that his party's MPs would not have been saved if the BJP did not intervene. You tried to murder MPs. Now you have come together in an alliance," he said.

During the 2012 incident, Samajwadi Party MP Yashveer Singh reportedly disrupted Lok Sabha proceedings by snatching the bill for promotions from Congress leader Minister V. Narayanasamy's hands.

Sonia Gandhi, who was sitting beside the minister, approached Singh and attempted to retrieve the papers from him. At the time, Mulayam Singh Yadav, then the Samajwadi Party chief, had condemned the act and described it as an "attack" on their MPs.

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However, during the Wednesday (September 20) debate, Dubey's statement ignited a strong reaction from Opposition MPs. They demanded that a female MP should lead the BJP's side of the debate.

Over this, Home Minister Amit Shah raised a question, "Can’t men speak on women’s issues?"

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Dubey also recalled the crucial roles of Geeta Mukherjee, a seven-time MP representing CPI from Bengal's Panskura between 1980 and 2000, and BJP's Sushma Swaraj in advocating for the Women's Reservation Bill.

He questioned why Sonia Gandhi did not mention them in her statements, raising concerns about the nature of politics.

"The two women who spoke in favour of the Women Reservation Bill the most were Bengal's Geeta Mukherjee and BJP's Sushma Swaraj. We would not see this date without them. But Sonia ji did not mention them. What kind of politics is this?"

The constitutional amendment bill, tabled in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday (September 19), is aimed to provide 33 per centreservation for women in both the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

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