'My Fundamental Right...': TMC's Kalyan Banerjee Again Mocks Dhankhar; VP Says He's A 'Sufferer'

After his mimicry of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar stirred a row, Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee ruffled some feathers once again by imitating the Rajya Sabha Chairman on Sunday. Banerjee, who was suspended from Lok Sabha during the recently concluded winter session, termed his mimicry of Dhankhar an “art form”, and asserted that he would continue to do so a “thousand times” and that he had a “fundamental right to do so”.

“I will keep doing the mimicry. It is an art form. If needed, I will do it a thousand times. I have all the fundamental rights to express my views. You can put me in jail. I will not step back,” Banerjee said on Sunday.

A political row erupted last week after Banerjee was seen mimicking Vice President Dhankhar while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was filming the act on his phone, during a protest by suspended MPs at Parliament’s Makar Dwar.

In an apparent reference to the mimicry incident, Dhankhar on Sunday described himself as a “sufferer” and asserted that despite taking all affronts and insults, one must never deviate from the path of service.

He also said that one must give space to the points of view of others but people must show their “spinal strength” when views are presented with a design to derail others from their path.

Addressing a group of Indian Statistical Service probationers in New Delhi, Dhankhar said though he is the vice president and chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, “people don’t spare me”.

“I am a sufferer. A sufferer knows how to withstand from the inside. Take all affronts, all insults with one direction — we are in the service of Bharat Mata. You will have to show integrity and high standards,” he said.

“Should I change my mindset? No. Should that result in deviation of path? No,” he added

His remarks come against the backdrop of disruptions in Parliament and large-scale suspension of opposition MPs from the Rajya Sabha during the just-concluded Winter session of Parliament.

While the opposition had alleged that the voice of dissent was being suppressed, Dhankhar has maintained that it was the last step after all attempts to have a dialogue to resolve the impasse in the House failed.