Congress MP Digvijaya Singh said that he felt bad about the fact that Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar was "insulted" but added that he (Dhankar) did not remember the insult of the caste and farmer when Rakesh Singh Tikait was beaten up. Singh said mimicry is humour and that "PM Modi also does good mimicry".
"...I feel bad that he has been insulted. But he (Vice President & Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar) does not remember the insult when Tikait was crying, he was beaten up...Mimicry is humour..." he said.
"PM Modi also does good mimicry...There is no need to be upset. I will meet the Vice President..."Singh further said.
He was referring to the farmers' protest against three farm law bills that were passed by the Centre and Tikait was one of the leading figures who drove the agitation to its success.
Digvijaya Singh was responding to a question over a recent mimicry act by TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee impersonating Dhankar while he was with the suspended MPs outside Lok Sabha. Over 100 MPs were suspended from Parliament over disorderly conduct recently after opposition leaders sought Union Home Minister Amit Shah's reply on Dec 13's Parliament Security breach.
President Droupadi Murmu had expressed pain over the incidents saying the freedom of speech and expression must lie norms of dignity and courtesy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a phone call with Dhankar, had also expressed pain over the incident saying that he had been receiving insults for the past 20 years but this happening with Vice President is really unfortunate.
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