On Tuesday, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for actively recording and applauding the censurable actions of suspended Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee, who was mimicking Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar during a protest on the Parliament premises. Rijiju, sharing a clip of the incident on his official social media account, expressed disapproval, stating, “MP is mocking Hon’ble Vice President of our Country, while Rahul Gandhi is cheering and filming the contemptible act!!”
In the video, Banerjee, amid a protest with other suspended MPs, can be seen making gestures with both hands, while Rahul Gandhi records the act on his mobile phone, eliciting laughter from other members. Piyush Goyal, Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha, also criticized the Congress, asserting on his social media platform, “For the record – Congress supports those who ridicule a constitutional position!”
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar expressed dissatisfaction with Kalyan Banerjee’s mimicry during the protest, deeming it ‘ridiculous’ and ‘unacceptable.’ Dhankhar, addressing the incident when the House reconvened, highlighted the disparity between the offices of the Chairman and the Speaker. He deemed the mimicry of the Chairman and the Speaker as “ridiculous, shameful, and unacceptable,” particularly when done by a senior leader of another party.
Simultaneously, suspended MPs from various opposition parties, part of the INDIA bloc, staged a protest in front of the Gandhi statue on Parliament premises, with Congress leader Sonia Gandhi joining them. They raised slogans against the Centre and also protested at Parliament’s Makar Dwar. The suspension of these MPs for the remainder of the Winter Session was attributed to ‘misconduct’ and failure to comply with the Chair’s directives.
