Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee drew criticism from several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders over a video showing him mimicking Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar. Dhankhar claimed that it was an insult to his background as a Jat, his caste, who came from a farmer’s family. Meanwhile, Kalyan Banerjee had not “intended to hurt anyone”.
As the matter took the political centrestage, Opposition leaders came out in support of the TMC leader. Meanwhile, BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu, condemned Banerjee’s actions.
Here’s what top political leaders said:
1. Jagdeep Dhankhar said he received a phone call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “He (PM Modi) expressed great pain over the abject theatrics of some Honourable MPs and that too in the sacred Parliament complex yesterday. He told me that he has been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty 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.”
2. President Droupadi Murmu tweeted, “I was dismayed to see the manner in which our respected Vice President 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.”
3. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said respect for those holding constitutional positions is the life force of democracy. “But the way political opposition is being turned into animosity to devalue Parliament’s dignity in such a low manner is a matter of concern for the entire political class,” he said, condemning the incident.
4. Former vice president M Venkaiah Naidu said, “The offices of the President, Vice President and Speaker, are Constitutional offices whose dignity & decorum must never be lowered. In mocking these high offices, we are plumbing the depths of parliamentary conduct & only ridiculing ourselves. We must always use only parliamentary & democratic means to express dissent & disagreement.”
5. BJP National President JP Nadda said, “The public sends the MPs to the Parliament so that they can engage in discussions and debate, but they have turned into jokers.”
6. According to ANI, Rahul Gandhi said, “MPs were sitting there, I shot their video. My video is on my phone. The media is showing it. Nobody has said anything.150 of our MPs have been thrown out (of the House) but there is no discussion on that in the media. There is no discussion on Adani, no discussion on Rafale, no discussion on unemployment.”
7. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said, “(The Rajya Chairman said) it is an insult to farmers…the Chairman should provide security to the MPs inside the House…now if I am not allowed to speak, should I say it is because I am Dalit?… One should not provoke people outside by talking about casteism in the House”.
8. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh slammed the prime minister for the criticism over the mimicry issue and alleged that Narendra Modi, while bidding farewell to Hamid Ansari, who was retiring as vice president and chairman of Rajya Sabha after a long 10-year tenure, mocked Ansari, reducing his identity to his religion.
9. Congress MP Randeep Surjewala said, “…I want to ask the Modi govt, were lakhs of farmers not insulted when they were bearing the cold, hunger and thirst sitting at the borders of Delhi, protesting against the farm laws?… Were the farmers not insulted when the BJP leaders were terming them as militants, naxals and anti-social elements?…”
10. TMC leader Mahua Moitra tweeted, “Deathly silence on Manipur, on the Parliament security breach. But Rashtrapati Bhavan tweets on mimicry. Priorities. Priorities.” She tweeted a video of PM Modi and said, “Mimicry is an art form practised by Masters.”
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Published: 20 Dec 2023, 06:45 PM IST