Kalyan Banerjee, a suspended Lok Sabha MP from the TMC, mocked Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar outside Parliament. This has sparked a huge controversy in the country and both the parties (Congress and TMC) have been facing a severe backlash including BJP and public in general because of this.
On Tuesday, Kalyan Banerjee was seen mimicking Dhankhar, the Rajya Sabha Chairman, outside Parliament. This came amid protests by Opposition MPs against mass suspensions from Parliament. Videos of the incident show Rahul filming Banerjee on his mobile as the suspended MPs laugh uproariously.
As per NDTV, Banerjee can be heard remarking, “My spine is so straight, I’m so tall.”
The VP and the chairman of Rajya Sabha claimed this ridiculous and shameful. He also said ‘kya yeh hai aapke sanskaar’? He also claimed that such acts of disrespect will not to be tolerated and people involved will have repercussions.
“Office of Chairman, Rajya Sabha and Office of Speaker is very different. Political parties will have their cross currents, they will have exchanges, but imagine a senior leader of your party, video graphing another member of another party,” Dhankhar said.
Since Jagdeep Dhankar comes from an OBC community of the Jats; this controversy has spiked a feeling for vengeance in the community. While addressing the opposition the VP said he was ready to take the insults if it were at him alone; but insults aimed at his position and his background will not be tolerated.
According to the reports there Jagdeep Dhankar has filed a complaint against Kalyan Banerjee in a police station in New Delhi.
“Vice President and the pride of the Jat community, Jagdeep Dhankhar has been mocked. The Jat community will definitely take account of this mockery in the coming Lok Sabha elections,” the Jat Association said in a post on social media platform X.
Who is Kalyan Bannerjee?
Banerjee is the three-time TMC MP from Serampore. The 66-year-old was born on 4 January, 1957 to Bholanath and Sibhani Banerjee. He is a B.Com graduate from University of Burdwan (1972-1974.) He also has an LLB From University of Ranchi.
His spouse’s name is Chhabi Banerjee. They have a son and a daughter. He doesn’t have any criminal records against him.
What was Kalyan Banerjee’s justification to the rage?
Banerjee remained defiant until the end about skit outside the Parliament. He said that it was not him who mocked the Parliament and the VP but PM Modi did this long before between 2014-2019.
I have never had any intention to hurt anyone…Does he really behave like this in Rajya Sabha? Mimicry was done by the PM in Lok Sabha between 2014-2019…” said TMC MP Banerjee.
He said that he never named anyone in his act at the ‘Mock Parliament’, if the VP took up on him, there is nothing that he could do. While concluding his justification Banerjee said that he has huge respect for Dhankar Ji and would never do anything to hurt his sentiments.
Has Kalyan Banerjee been a part of controversy before?
The letter accused Banerjee of “insulting women lawyers”, giving “undue privilege to some in exchange for unexplainable favours”, and “misusing his political power”. In 2011, Kalyan Banerjee has had issues with his own party leader, Mamta Banerjee.
“Sita told lord Ram that it was luck that she got abdicated by Ravana. If I had been kidnapped by your followers, who wrap saffron on their foreheads and shout Jai Shri Ram, my condition would have been like the Hathras victim,” Banerjee said.
Banerjee in 2020 called then finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman a ‘venomous black snake’ and claimed she was India’s worst finance minister ever.
He did not stop there and went on to compare her to the bite of a black snake. He said if Nirmala Sitharaman continues to be the FM of the country, the citizens will die just how a person dies when bitten by the black snake. He further added that Nirmala Sitharaman should pack her bag and leave for her home-town in Andhra Pradesh.
Banerjee also attacked the BJP’s Dilip Ghosh. “We are not afraid of Dilip Ghosh. Let him tell BJP leaders that we are not sitting at home wearing bangles, we are strong and we will meet in the field. If you want to fight physically, we won’t step back. We will give you appropriate answers to all the dirty politics you are playing.”
He threatened the BJP MP by telling that he can silence him. He doesn’t need 18 bodyguards for his security. He said that Ghosh should refrain himself from wearing men’s clothes and should start wearing sarees. He said that even women who wear sarees are stronger than him.
Banerjee in 2017 called Prime Minister Narendra Modi ‘a rat’ during a protest meeting in front of the RBI regional headquarters in Kolkata. “Modi’s supporters call him a lion. But I say time is not far when Modi will have to return to his hole in Gujarat…” Banerjee was quoted as saying by News18.
As per The Times of India, Banerjee in 2012 had an ugly spat with then commerce minister Anand Sharma inside the Lok Sabha over Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Banerjee told Sharma that even after spending 2 years you are not a minister. He questioned Sharma that who are you tell us what we should or shouldn’t do.
To which Sharma responded, “Whether I understand the country or not, you ascertain that from your leader Mamata Banerjee who has worked with me as a colleague. She would know.” “I don’t want to join issues with him. It is unfortunate. He was offensive and less than civilised,” Sharma added later.
Does the Banerjee controversy reignite scrutiny on the PM’s previous actions?
Amid the row over the mimicry of Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar outside Parliament, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday pointed to when Prime Minister Narendra Modi “mocked” former Vice-President Hamid Ansari at his farewell in 2017.
Sharing a video clip of PM Modi’s speech on X, the Congress leader said that the Prime Minister had reduced Ansari’s identity to his religion and alleged that “his entire professional and political achievements were because of his religious identity”.
Ramesh further wrote, “The PM pretty much sang the same song in the evening farewell function in Parliament Library auditorium as well. Such a petty PM and his drum-beaters talking of insults being heaped at Constitutional authorities are hypocrites and opportunists of the worst kind.”
However, the video doesn’t showcase any such song and the BJP slashed back at JaiRam Ramesh claiming PM was acknowledging his political career.
Rahul Gandhi’s wink and hug incident
In 2018 Lok Sabha session, Rahul Gandhi delivered his speech and concluded by telling that he doesn’t hold any grudges against PM Modi and BJP for calling him ‘pappu’ and that he only respects that.
He said that this is Congress and thats why there is no feeling of grudge and hatred against the PM. Amidst the loud echo and noise in the lower house; unprecedentedly Rahul Gandhi was seen hugging PM Modi and shaking hands with him. He crossed his seats and went over to the PM’s seat. After coming back; Gandhi was seen winking his party member and that caught the attention of BJP and many others.
After which PM Modi took jibes against Rahul Gandhi and said that the elections have not even commenced and he (Rahul Gandhi) is coming to the PM’s seat. He questioned his haste to reach the PM’s seat in a sarcastic and uncanny way.
After that he made that infamous winking gestures with his fingers aimed at Rahul Gandhi. The Congress also recirculated this video alongside the incident with Hamid Ansari.
