Mimicry Row: The incident of mocking Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has stirred political controversy. Now, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Kalyan Banerjee has clarified his stance on mimicking Vice President Dhankhar.
Banerjee stated, "I have a lot of respect for the Vice President. Mimicry is an art. Even the Prime Minister has done mimicry. My intention was not to hurt anyone. When asked about apologizing, he said 'NO.'"
It is worth noting that this incident occurred on Tuesday during the opposition's protest on the Parliament stairs. At that time, Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee had mimicked Dhankhar, and the entire episode was captured on video.
Opposition MPs were protesting against their suspension, coming together on the stairs.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen recording the entire incident on video.
On Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and expressed regret over the behaviour of some MPs in the Parliament premises.
The PM said, "I too have been tolerating such disrespect for the past 20 years." Meanwhile, President Droupadi Murmu also expressed disappointment over the incident.
The Vice President mentioned in a social media post that he received a call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He expressed deep regret over the reprehensible behaviour of some honourable MPs in the sacred Parliament premises. He told me that he has been enduring such disrespect for the past twenty years. It is unfortunate for someone holding a constitutional position like the Vice President to experience such incidents in the Indian Parliament.
The Vice President stated that he had conveyed to the Prime Minister that such incidents would not prevent him from fulfilling his duties. He said, "I have stated that the actions of some individuals will not deter me from fulfilling my responsibilities and upholding the principles enshrined in our constitution. I will not be prevented from adhering to the values I am deeply committed to. No disrespect will force me to change my course.
Earlier, President Droupadi Murmu wrote a post on social media expressing disappointment at the way our esteemed Vice President was disrespected within the Parliament premises.
The President wrote, "Witnessing the manner in which our respected Vice President was disrespected in the Parliament saddened me. Elected representatives should be free to express themselves, but their expression should be within the standards of dignity and decorum.