'Dismayed To See Manner In Which Vice President Was Humiliated': President On Mimicry Row

Elected representatives, President Droupadi Murmu said, were free to express themselves but it should be within the norms of dignity and courtesy.

President Murmu said that while elected representatives can express their views, it should be done some with dignity.

Source : PTI

Amid a political row over Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee mimicking Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, President Droupadi Murmu said she was dismayed in the manner in which the Rajya Sabha chairman was "humiliated" in the Parliament complex. In a post on X, Murmu said elected representatives were free to express themselves but it should be within the norms of dignity and courtesy.

"I was dismayed to see the manner in which our respected Vice President was humiliated in the Parliament complex. Elected representatives must be free to express themselves, but their expression should be within the norms of dignity and courtesy. That has been the Parliamentary tradition we are proud of, and the people of India expect them to uphold it," the President said.

I was dismayed to see the manner in which our respected Vice President was humiliated in the Parliament complex. Elected representatives must be free to express themselves, but their expression should be within the norms of dignity and courtesy. That has been the Parliamentary…

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) December 20, 2023

On Tuesday, TMC's Kalyan Banerjee was seen mimicking the Vice President while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen filming the act using his mobile phone. The TMC MP was seen imitating Dhankhar's walking style. "My spine is so straight, I'm so tall," Banerjee was heard saying. 

The development came as 78 Opposition MPs were suspended from Parliament on Monday for disrupting proceedings of the House over the Lok Sabha security breach incident. On Tuesday, another 49 Lok Sabha members were suspended for the rest of the session. Overall, a total of 141 MPs have been suspended so far. 

The Opposition has pressed for a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the security breach incident on December 13 that saw two persons opening gas canisters inside the Lok Sabha chamber. 

On Tuesday, Dhankhar took note of the incident and said that he was personally hurt as his farmer and Jat backgrounds were targeted.

"The Office of the Chairman, Rajya Sabha, and the Office of the Speaker are very different. Political parties will have their crosscurrents, they will have exchanges, but imagine a senior leader of your party, videographing another member of another party. Mimicry of the Chairman, mimicry of the Speaker. How ridiculous, how shameful, how unacceptable," he had said,

On Wednesday, Dhankhar said he received a call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi who expressed "great pain" over the "abject theatrics" of some MPs in Parliament complex.

"Received a telephone call from the Prime Minister, Shri @narendramodi Ji. He expressed great pain over the abject theatrics of some Honourable MPs and that too in the sacred Parliament complex yesterday. He told me that he has been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting but the fact that it could happen to a Constitutional office like the Vice President of India and that too in the Parliament was unfortunate," Dhankhar posted on X.