Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, claiming he was physically pushed by Bharatiya Janata Party MPs in Parliament premises following which he lost his balance.
The Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha asked the LS Speaker to order an inquiry into the BJP MPs "pushing" him, says it was an assault not just on him but on the Rajya Sabha LoP and the Congress president.
"I was physically pushed by BJP MPs; lost my balance and was forced to sit down on ground in front of Makar Dwar. This inflicted (an) injury on my knees, which have undergone surgery," Kharge said.
"Subsequently, Congress MPs brought me a chair and I was made to sit on it. With great difficulty, and with support from my colleagues, I limped to the House at 11 am," he added.
His remarks came after a face-off between the opposition and NDA MPs in Parliament premises over the alleged insult to B R Ambedkar left former minister Pratap Chandra Sarangi injured.
The BJP accused Rahul Gandhi of pushing the senior member, a charge rejected by the Congress leader.
Trouble began when the INDIA bloc members insisted on entering Parliament through the BJP MPs holding a protest instead of using the space left empty on one side of the staircase of the Makar Dwar, used by members to enter and exit the building.
Some senior Congress MPs in the Lok Sabha also wrote to Speaker Birla alleging that Rahul Gandhi was "physically manhandled" and urged him to take appropriate action.