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Union minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday rejected claims that outsiders were brought in Rajya Sabha to manhandle Opposition members, saying Marshals neither belong to the ruling side nor the opposition, and alleged that it was a woman marshal who was in fact manhandled by those members.
When asked about Sharad Pawar's allegation that outsiders were called in to manhandle opposition leaders including women MPs, Goyal said the NCP chief was probably "wrongly informed" and also asked him to introspect on the behaviour of his "colleagues in Opposition".
The minister was addressing a joint press conference with his cabinet colleagues.
"In 55 years of my parliamentary career, I have never seen this kind of behaviour towards women MPs in the August House. More than 40 men and women were brought into the House from outside. It is painful. It is an attack on democracy," Pawar had alleged.
When his reaction was sought, Goyal said, "Marshals or security staff neither belong to ruling side nor the opposition. They look after the Parliament's security. We have not appointed them."
All those were parliamentary security service officials, marshals. Of them, 12 were women marshals and 18 male security personnel.
"Let me clarify, Pawar was wrongly informed, may be, by somebody. Their figures are wrong and their allegations are also wrong that they were outsiders who came in," Goyal said.
"I would like to urge Sharad Pawarji to introspect on the behaviour of the opposition throughout the entire Parliament session. Whether the parties with which he is standing today is what he has seen in 55 years of his parliamentary career? Has he ever seen this type of things? I think Pawarji should introspect and tell the nation whether he condones their behaviour," he said.