TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee mocks V-P, Rahul Gandhi records him; shameful, says Dhankhar

When the Rajya Sabha, which was adjourned in the morning, reconvened around noon, Dhankhar, addressing a Congress leader, said, “Just a while ago I saw on a television channel that there is no limit to how low one can stoop (girawat ki koi hadh nai hai). Your senior leader was found shooting a video of an unparliamentary act of one of the suspended MPs, sitting out on protest… I just want to say that good sense (sadbuddhi) may prevail on them.”

Referring to Rahul Gandhi, he said, “Office of Chairman, Rajya Sabha and Office of Speaker are very different. Political parties will have their cross currents, they will have exchanges, but imagine a senior leader of your party videographing another member of another party… Mimicry of the Chairman, mimicry of Speaker. How ridiculous, how shameful, how unacceptable.”

In the clip Dhankhar referred to, suspended TMC MP Banerjee, surrounded by other Opposition leaders, can ostensibly be seen impersonating the Rajya Sabha Chairperson and saying: “My spine is so straight, I’m so tall.” The clip also shows Rahul appearing to record Banerjee.

Dhankhar said: “Office of Chairman, Rajya Sabha and Office of Speaker is very different.” (Screengrab: Sansad TV)

At 2 pm, Dhankhar said, “I have adjourned the House. You are not aware of the kind of response that is against this institution in the mind of the people and we had the occasion to see the lowest level. Mr Chidambaram is here. Mr Chidambaram, you are a very senior member. Imagine what must be going through my heart when your senior leader videographs a Member of Parliament mocking the institution of Chairman.”

“As an individual, take on me, don’t take on my background as a farmer, don’t take on my background as a community member. Institution of Chairman has been ravaged and that too by a political party that has gone so far that a Member of Parliament, a senior one, videographs the other member… On Instagram, Mr Chidambaram, your party put a video which was withdrawn later. That was a shame to me. You used the official Twitter handle of the spokesperson to demean me, insult me, insult my background as a farmer, my position as a Jat, insult my position as Chairman,” he said.

When contacted, Banerjee told The Indian Express, “I am a member of the Lok Sabha. I have never seen Rajya Sabha proceedings or Rajya Sabha TV. How will I be able to copy Dhankharji? I am surprised he took it personally. Does he behave like this only? This is an art and he should take it sportingly.”

TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, “If Dhankhar can act as BJP cadre inside the Rajya Sabha, this should be acceptable. When Dhankhar was expelling opposition MPs one by one, what was the BJP doing? They made a mockery of democracy.”

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, also weighed in. When the House reassembled at 5 pm, Joshi highlighted the incident and said that earlier, the Congress had insulted President Droupadi Murmu over her tribal background and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for being OBC. “INDIA bloc parties have been like touring talkies, holding meetings in different cities. Now this drama company has started mimicry by making fun of a person who is OBC and from a farming background. Rahul Gandhi has no sense, let alone any good sense. Kharge ji should apologise,” Joshi told reporters later.

Inputs from ENS, Kolkata