First-time BJP MP from Gujarat’s Vadodara, Hemang Joshi, 33, was accorded a rousing welcome upon his arrival at the Vadodara airport on Friday evening following a stormy Winter Session of Parliament, five months after he entered the Lok Sabha as the youngest MP from the state. Joshi was received by the BJP leaders and workers with bouquets.
On Thursday, when a scuffle broke out between the MPs of the ruling NDA and the Opposition INDIA bloc on the Parliament premises, Joshi was seen questioning the INDIA members and asking Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, to look at the condition of Balasore BJP MP Pratap Sarangi, who was “injured” in the melee.
Hours later, Joshi lodged a formal complaint against Gandhi over the incident at the Parliament Street police station. Delhi Police booked Gandhi under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) related to physical assault, among other charges.
“The Opposition was creating a ruckus over non-issues. This led to a 40% productivity of Parliament. No discussions could be held on the three questions I was slated to ask. It is hurtful as a young parliamentarian. The Congress has the habit of protesting against everything while the BJP allows them to protest. This was the first time that the NDA decided to protest against the false propaganda that the Opposition has resorted to by using a doctored video and the name of Dr B R Ambedkar. All this happened because of the ego of one person,” Joshi alleged after his arrival in Vadodara.
In his complaint lodged with Delhi Police, Joshi claimed that “The protest (of the NDA MPs) was against the blatant misinformation being propagated by Opposition parties led by the Congress”.
A former vice-chairman of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation’s school board, Joshi is a physiotherapist and a self-proclaimed human resource enthusiast. He has completed his Master’s in Human Resource Management from MS University. He has also worked as an HR manager at a defence start-up in Vadodara.
According to BJP insiders, Joshi has close connection with the RSS leaders. He had been an active member of the BJP’s youth wing for the past few years before taking the electoral plunge, replacing two-time MP Ranjanben Bhatt from Vadodara, a constituency once represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Joshi also serves as the Vadodara president of the Vallabh Youth Organisation (VYO), a body headed by spiritual leader Vrajrajkumar Goswami. He was appointed to this position after his predecessor Paresh Shah was arrested in connection with the Harni boat capsize case which led to the death of 14 people, including 12 students.
In his complaint to Delhi Police, Joshi claimed that Gandhi arrived at the Makar Dwar of Parliament around 10.40 am Thursday while the NDA MPs were staging a “peaceful protest”. “Despite the requests of the Parliament security to take the designated path provided to him, Gandhi, with malicious intention to disrupt the protest and physically harm NDA MPs, ignored the requests and forcefully barged towards the protesting MPs. He instigated other Opposition MPs to proceed with force, putting the safety of protesters in jeopardy,” his complaint stated.
Joshi alleged that the Opposition leaders “intentionally used force” to push Sarangi and Farrukhabad BJP MP Mukesh Rajput, resulting in their fall after which the TDP’s Nandyal MP Byreddy Shabari administered first-aid to them.
The Vadodara MP also claimed that he attempted to reason with Gandhi and his associates but their actions were allegedly “deliberate, malicious and bore mala fide intentions”.
While Joshi, in his complaint, urged Delhi Police to book Gandhi under sections 109 (attempt to murder), 115 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 117 (voluntarily causing hurt), 125 (endangering life and personal safety of others), 131 (use of criminal force), 351 (criminal intimidation) and 3(5) (common intention) of the BNS, the police has not registered the “attempt to murder” charge against the LoP.
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