BJP legislator Gopal Parmar accused the Lok Sabha member of triggering the brawl on Wednesday
A parliamentarian and a legislator of Madhya Pradesh's ruling BJP got into a spat in full public view on Wednesday, which then progressed into a full-scale scuffle after the party's Lok Sabha member reportedly tried to snatch the saffron flag that was being taken through their constituency. Much of the exchange was filmed on mobile phones by eager bystanders and is being widely circulated.
The police eventually had to take Lok Sabha member Manohar Untwal away to the district police chief's office for his own security and keep him there until angry supporters of legislator Gopal Parmar dispersed.
The flag was part of the "Ekatam Yatra" flagged off by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan last month to collect metal pieces from parts of the state to build a 108-feet tall statue of Adi Shankaracharya in state.
The month-long event has already been in and out of controversies, primarily due to the close involvement of the state bureaucracy in its execution. District collectors have been trying to endear themselves to the government by associating themselves with what was essentially a political campaign by misusing Adi Shankaracharya ji's name, said Congress leader Ajay Singh.
The yatra, complete with the saffron flag and the Adi Shankaracharya's wooden sandals, had reached Agar Malwa district 200 km from Bhopal on Wednesday and was passing through Agar town. Local legislator Gopal Parmar had parked himself on the edge of the rath, a tempo used as a chariot, firmly holding the huge saffron flag that is considered auspicious by Hindus.
At some point, Dewas Lok Sabha Manohar Untwal decided it was his turn but the legislator wanted him to wait. He ran of patience and is seen on video trying to snatch the flag.
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Saansad ne apni aukat bata di (The MP showed his true colours)," legislator Gopal Parmar later told reporters, accusing the parliamentarian of starting the trouble. "He was being abusive," said the BJP leader, who was elected to the Agar assembly seat vacated by Mr Untwal when he graduated to the Lok Sabha in 2014.
Mr Untwal did not respond to the charges. "I have informed the appropriate authorities about it," he said.
This is the second instance of a public brawl between two BJP lawmakers over the past week. On Saturday, an event to distribute blankets to the poor had also turned into a free for all between supporters of two BJP leaders, the local MP and MLA, in Uttar Pradesh. The trigger then was who should get photographed distributing the blanket first.