Amid Parliament impasse over Dhankhar, ousted MPs’ list grows to 143: 10 points
The deadlock between the Opposition and the government deepened on Wednesday over Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee’s mimicry of Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar on a mobile camera held by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi.
The act has prompted condemnation by Dhankhar, union ministers and BJP MPs. Gandhi called out the media for allegedly not discussing the suspension of Opposition MPs enough and focussing on the video row.
On Wednesday, two more Opposition MPs were suspended for unruly behaviour, taking the total number to 143. Meanwhile, an activist has filed a complaint with the Ethics Committee of the Parliament seeking expulsion of the MPs for mocking Dhankhar.
Here are the top 10 points on the Parliament standoff.
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday suspended two Opposition MPs for showing placards in the House. Thomas Chazhikadan of the Kerala Congress (Mani) and A M Ariff of the CPI(M) were suspended for “misconduct”.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi moved a resolution which was adopted by the House. With this, the total number of suspended MPs in the Lok Sabha reached 97. The number in Rajya Sabha is 46.
Dhankhar today claimed PM Modi condemned the acts of Gandhi and Banerjee. “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 said in a social media post.
Ruling party MPs on Wednesday protested against the mimicry. They stood for 10 minutes in the house to show solidarity with Dhankhar. Later, Joshi said they were standing in the honour of the chairman. “We strongly condemn how Rahul Gandhi insulted you and your constitutional position. To tarnish a particular community and section of society is not right. As far as I have seen, this is the first time they have fallen to this level and there is no end to this. We strongly condemn this. They have been insulting people at constitutional positions,” Joshi said.
BJP MP Satya Pal Singh said what happened yesterday showed the mindset of the Opposition. “They do not want a farmer’s son or a member of the Jat community to occupy the Vice President’s post. Rajiv Shukla’s statement in the House also shows their mindset,” he said. On the suspension of the Opposition MPs, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said if 50-60 MPs “snatch away” the rights of 543 in the Lok Sabha, they deserve to be suspended.
Taking to her official handle on social media handle X, the President said that the people of India are proud of the country’s Parliamentary tradition. “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 posted on X.
Meanwhile, Gandhi has slammed the media. “MPs were sitting there, I shot their video. My video is on my phone. Media is showing it…Nobody has said anything…150 (143) of our MPs have been thrown out (of the House) but there is no discussion on that in the media. There is no discussion on Adani, no discussion on Rafale, no discussion on unemployment. Our MPs are disheartened and sitting outside. But you are discussing that (mimicry),” he said.
TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee on Wednesday said his intensions weren’t to hurt Dhankhar. “I wasn’t intending to hurt anyone. I do not know why he is taking this on himself. Does he act like this in the Rajya Sabha? I respect Dhankar Sahib a lot. He’s also a senior advocate, I’m too. I’ve great respect for Dhankar-ji. Firstly, he belongs in the same profession as me and secondly, because he was formerly a governor (of West Bengal). He is our Vice President,” Banerjee said.
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said it was a ploy to deflect public attention. On Dhankhar’s remark that the mimicry was an affront to the Jat community, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge pointed out that he came from the Dalit community. “Should I say I am not allowed to speak in Parliament because I am Dalit,” he said.
Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said mimicry had nothing to do with caste. “The BJP brings caste into everything,” he said.
Union minister and BJP MP Giriraj Singh slammed Gandhi for recording Banerjee’s video. “The biggest non-serious leader of this century is Rahul Gandhi. He doesn’t know what he says. I don’t think a lot of comments need to be made on a non-serious person. People rejected him in 2019 based on issues that he wants to present. He has crossed limits after losing three states…Rahul Gandhi should have discouraged them from mimicking the Vice President,” he said.