“Protest by BJP Female Parliamentarians at Gandhi Statue Over Imitation of Jagdeep Dhankhar”
On Tuesday, a controversy emerged when video clips of suspended TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee imitating Dhankhar circulated widely on social media.
In the midst of a significant dispute involving a Trinamool Congress MP seemingly imitating the mannerisms of Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, female MPs from the BJP are planning a protest near the Gandhi statue on Parliament premises this Wednesday afternoon. The protest is in response to the perceived “disrespect” shown to the office of the Rajya Sabha chairman.
The controversy arose on Tuesday when video clips of suspended TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee imitating Dhankhar went viral on social media. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen recording Banerjee’s mimicry on his mobile phone as the TMC MP conducted a mock session of the House.
In response to the incident, Dhankhar expressed his disapproval, describing it as “shameful and unacceptable.” He emphasized that while he doesn’t mind personal criticism, he cannot tolerate insults directed at the Vice President of India, the farming community, and his own community. Dhankhar stated that protecting the dignity of his position is his duty, and he will not allow it to be compromised. The Rajya Sabha reconvened on Wednesday for the fourth time.
On Tuesday, he emphasized the stark distinction between the roles of the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and the Speaker, highlighting the inappropriateness of a senior party leader videotaping a member of another party engaging in mimicry of the Chairman and Speaker. He deemed such actions ridiculous, shameful, and unacceptable.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Dhankhar on Wednesday morning to express his strong disapproval of the mimicry incident. Dhankhar, sharing details of Modi’s call on X (formerly Twitter), mentioned that the Prime Minister conveyed his deep concern and condemnation. In a post, Dhankhar stated that Modi expressed great distress over the theatrical behavior of some MPs within the sacred Parliament complex. Modi shared that he had endured similar insults for two decades, but the fact that such behavior occurred towards the Vice President of India within Parliament was unfortunate.
The TMC MP, MC MP Kalyan Banerjee, clarified his actions after mimicking Dhankhar, emphasizing that he had no intention of causing harm to the Vice President of India. Banerjee explained that mimicry is a form of art, expressing his deep respect for the vice president. He stated that he did not understand why Dhankhar took offense, as it was a mock parliament setting and not meant to be taken personally. Banerjee stressed that he had not made any derogatory remarks in either the Rajya Sabha or the Lok Sabha and questioned whether Dhankhar behaves similarly in the Rajya Sabha. Banerjee, acknowledging Dhankhar as a senior in their profession, asserted that in their field, they never intend to harm anyone, and his actions were not meant to cause harm.
