NEW DELHI: A political crisis erupted on Wednesday over Trinamool Congress (TMC) Member of Parliament (MP) Kalyan Banerjee’s mimicking of Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar during a protest by Opposition parties outside the new Parliament building on Tuesday. The incident attracted widespread condemnation from senior officials, including the President, Prime Minister, Lok Sabha Speaker, and former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu.
Banerjee, while protesting alongside other MPs against the suspension of opposition members, imitated Dhankhar. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and others captured this act on their cellphones, sparking a significant debate.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi contacted the Vice-President, expressing his distress over the incident, which he termed ‘abject theatrics.’ Modi expressed disappointment, particularly because the mockery was directed at a constitutional office within the Parliament. In response, Dhankhar affirmed his commitment to constitutional values, resolving not to be deterred by such insults.
Dhankhar later posted on microblogging site X about receiving a call from Modi. “Received a telephone call from Prime Minister @narendramodi. He expressed great pain over the abject theatrics of some MPs, and that too in the sacred Parliament complex, yesterday,” the Vice-President posted.
President Draupadi Murmu also expressed her dismay at the humiliation of the Vice -President within the Parliament complex, emphasizing the need for elected representatives to adhere to norms of dignity and courtesy. Foremer Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu too condemned the act on social media, highlighting the importance of maintaining the dignity of constitutional offices.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla met with Dhankhar, describing the incident as a ‘new low’ in parliamentary conduct. In solidarity, ruling party members, including ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal and Nitin Gadkari, stood for about 10 minutes during Rajya Sabha proceedings.
Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee advised taking the incident lightly and refrained from further comment. Kalyan Banerjee defended his actions, stating he had no intention of causing harm, and questioned why his mimicry was taken so seriously.
He compared it to past mimicries by PM Modi in the Lok Sabha. Rahul Gandhi criticised the media’s focus on the mimicry, urging coverage of other significant issues such as the suspension of MPs, economic concerns, and defence deals, while highlighting the disheartened perspective of MPs.
