Mimicry Row: Will not tolerate insult to my post, says Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar

Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar Wednesday said he will not tolerate insult to his post after his was mimicked by Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee outside the parliament on Tuesday and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi filming the act. Earlier in the day, Dhankar shared a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, in which he mentioned about his telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi who described the incident as a “personal attack”. “He (PM Modi) expressed great pain over the abject theatrics of some Honourable MPs and that too in the sacred Parliament complex…,” Dhankar said. “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,” Dhankar said.

Received a telephone call from the Prime Minister, Shri @narendramodi Ji. He 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…

— Vice-President of India (@VPIndia) December 20, 2023

The Vice President further said, he told the Prime Minister, “the antics of a few won’t prevent me from performing my duty and upholding the principles enshrined in our Constitution. I am committed to those values from the bottom of my heart. None of the insults will make me change my path.” On Tuesday, videos from outside the Parliament that went viral showed Rahul Gandhi filming Serampore MP Kalyan Banerjee mimicking Dhankar as opposition MPs, who were protesting outside Parliament against the mass suspension from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, burst into laughter. Dhankar, on Tuesday, slammed Rahul Gandhi without taking his name for filming video his Banerjee mimicking the RS Chair outside Parliament. “One of your (Congress) big leader was making video of one of the member unparliamentary behavior. There should be some limit. A senior members of a party making video of another party member who is doing mimicry of chair. How ridiculous and shameful it is,” said Dhankar after the House reconvened at noon after being adjourned. Also Read: WATCH: Rahul Gandhi films Cong MP Kalyan Banerjee mimicking Jagdeep Dhankar, RS Chair calls it ‘ridiculous, shameful’ Taking the note of the incident, Dhankar said, “Office of Chairman, Rajya Sabha and Office of Speaker is very different. Political parties will have their cross currents, they will have exchanges, but imagine a senior leader of your party, video graphing another member of another party. Mimicry of the Chairman, mimicry of Speaker. How ridiculous, how shameful, how unacceptable.” Meanwhile, all female MPs of BJP will protest at Gandhi statue at 2 pm on Wednesday for the insult to Jagdeep Dhankar. With inputs from agencies