New Delhi, Dec 20: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar got emotional after suspended Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament (MP) Kalyan Banerjee was seen mocking and mimicking him during the protest at Makar Dwar against the recent suspension of MPs on Tuesday in Delhi. In the video, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is seen filming the mockery act on his mobile phone.
In the video, MP Kalyan Banerjee can be heard saying, "My spine is so straight, I'm so tall" while depicting his version of proceedings in Rajya Sabha during a mock parliament by protesting MPs."
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar expressed strong disapproval, describing the behaviour as "ridiculous" and "unacceptable." Dhankhar criticized the incident, saying, "How ridiculous, how shameful, how unacceptable." The House was adjourned until 2 pm following the disapproval.
Dhankhar, speaking about Rahul Gandhi, said, "A senior member of Parliament videographs another member. Why? I tell you I have suffered greatly. You have no idea what kind of reaction people have against this institution and today we got a chance to see its lowest level," he added.
Addressing Congress MP P Chidambaram, he called out Rahul Gandhi for recording the TMC MP's antics. "Mr. Chidambaram is here. Mr. Chidambaram, you are a very senior member. Imagine what must have been going through my heart when one of your senior leaders was making a video of an MP making fun of the Speaker in which I was being personally attacked," he added.
"This is not just an insult to a farmer and a community, it is an insult to the post of Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. And that too by a member of a political party that has ruled for so long," he said.
Sharing the video, the BJP slammed both Banerjee and Gandhi for mocking India's vice president. "If the country was wondering why opposition MPs were suspended, here is the reason. TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee mocked the Honourable Vice President, while Rahul Gandhi lustily cheered him on. One can imagine how reckless and violative they have been of the House!," it added.
Meanwhile, 49 Lok Sabha MPs, including National Conference's Farooq Abdullah and Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari, were suspended from the Lok Sabha for disrupting proceedings on Tuesday.
These suspensions were followed by the suspension of 78 opposition MPs the previous day. Members of the INDIA bloc had been demanding a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the security breach in Parliament on December 13.
The suspended MPs staged protests in front of the Gandhi statue on Parliament premises and at Makar Dwar, joined by Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi. The demonstrations occurred after disruptions in both Houses during the ongoing 'Winter Session.'