New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will hold a nationwide agitation to protest the “insult” meted out to Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, who is ex-officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha, after an Opposition MP was seen mimicking him inside the Parliament complex Tuesday.
The impersonation was done by Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee during a “mock Parliament” session outside the House Tuesday afternoon, when Opposition MPs were protesting their mass suspension for stalling House proceedings to demand a statement from either Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Union Home Minister Amit Shah on last Wednesday’s Lok Sabha security breach.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen filming Banerjee as he mimicked Dhankhar, though without naming him.
BJP Kisan Morcha chief Rajkumar Chahar said protests would take place across the country starting Thursday.
Chahar said it was “shameless” of Banerjee to impersonate Dhankhar— “the Vice-President, chairman of the Upper House, a jat and one belonging to a family of farmers” — and for Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to “film and enjoy” the act. “This is not the first time that Rahul Gandhi has insulted the OBC (other backward classes) family,” he said.
He added that Indians would never forgive Gandhi, and that the Kisan Morcha along with the Kisan Samaj and the Jat Mahasabha would burn effigies of the “ghamandiya (INDIA) alliance” and the Congress leader.
Chahar said members of the Jat Mahasabha would also participate in protests to be held at state BJP offices and in various districts. “Our demand is that Rahul Gandhi personally apologise to Dhankhar, who occupies a constitutional post and is the son of a kisan (farmer). He should touch his feet and seek forgiveness,” he told ThePrint.
Gandhi rebutted the allegations Wednesday, adding he had not amplified the mimicry by sharing the clip he recorded. “What I recorded is still on my phone,” he said, rebuking the media for only covering news about the impersonation, while more pressing issues went unreported.
“150 MPs were thrown out of Parliament and there was no discussion in the media. There’s no discussion on Adani, France has said an investigation is not being allowed on the Rafale deal… no discussion on that or on unemployment,” the Congress leader said.
He urged reporters to show some news, “at least a little”.
“It is your responsibility. If you totally follow one line, what can we do,” he said.
Earlier in the day, National Democratic Alliance (NDA) MPs in Rajya Sabha stood for nearly an hour in solidarity with Dhankhar.
Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu criticised the Trinamool MP’s actions. Modi called Dhankhar to express his pain over the “abject theatrics” of a handful of Opposition MPs in the “sacred Parliament complex”.
Sharing details about the conversation, Dhankharsaid: “He (Modi) told me that he has been at the receiving end of such insults for 20 years and counting but the fact that it could happen to a constitutional office like the Vice-President of India and that too in the Parliament was unfortunate.”
President Murmu also took to X to express her “dismay” at the manner in which Dhankhar was “humiliated in the Parliament complex”.
“Elected representatives must be free to express themselves, but their expression should be within the norms of dignity and courtesy. That has been the Parliamentary tradition we are proud of, and the People of India expect them to uphold it,”read the post.
Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee, however, sought to downplay the snowballing indignation of the ruling disposition, saying the Opposition respects everyone.
Her MP Kalyan Banerjee has remained unapologetic about the episode, telling the media Wednesday that “mimicry is a type of art” and that Modi too had done it in the Lok Sabha. He said it was not his intention to hurt anyone but the Vice-President should not have taken it personally.
Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury echoed this explanation, saying: “Mimicry is an art…No one said this mimicry was of Dhankhar ji… Does it suit a person in such a high post to talk about caste?”
Chowdhury was reacting to Dhankhar’soutburst in the Rajya Sabha after the incident, when he said his family background and caste had been attacked.
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