Kolkata: Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee addressed a political gathering in Serampore, Bengal, defending his recent mimicry of Vice President Sri. Jagdeep Dhankhar on Parliament premises. Banerjee emphasised that mimicry is an art and expressed his helplessness if someone does not understand humour or lacks a cultured mind to appreciate it.
Mr. Banerjee finds himself in the midst of controversy following his mimicry of Jagdeep Dhankhar on the Parliament premises after the disqualification of MPs. Executed in poor taste, the event invited strong criticism from the BJP.
TMC Kalyan banarjipic.twitter.com/dKnWiUKMEc
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During the meeting, Banerjee recounted that PM Modi himself had performed mimicry inside the Lok Sabha, and the audience had taken it in good spirits. He questioned why his act was causing such distress, without directly naming Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, who had criticised the mimicry as “shameful.”
Banerjee also responded to Dhankhar’s claim of being insulted as a farmer’s son, challenging him to reveal how many days he had worked in a field. He questioned the Vice-President’s expensive attire, contrasting it with the struggles of Indian farmers in winter.
In a bold move, Banerjee dared Dhankhar to disclose the number of cases he had fought for farmers during his legal career, asserting his own history of advocating for the underprivileged over four decades.
Further, Banerjee criticized Dhankhar for not supporting Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik in her protest against BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s alleged sexual harassment of women wrestlers. He accused the Vice-President of trying to flatter the Prime Minister and suppressing the voices of the Opposition.
The BJP strongly condemned Banerjee’s mimicry, deeming it disrespectful towards the Vice-President. BJP MPs staged a unique protest in the Rajya Sabha, remaining standing for an hour to express their disapproval of the act.
