Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday expressed his pain over suspended Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee apparently mimicking him during a protest in Parliament premises and said it is “unacceptable” and “the institution of Chairman has been ravaged”.
The Chairman, who had earlier too expressed his deep concern over the mimicry, expressed anguish when the House assembled at 2 pm following an adjournment and adjourned it till 3 pm.
“I have adjourned the House. You are not aware of the kind of response that is against this institution in the minds of the people and we had the occasion to see the lowest level,” he said.
Referring to former union minister P Chidambaram who was in the House, the Chairman said the senior Congress leader can imagine his anguish.
“Mr Chidambaram you are a very senior member. Imagine what must be going through my heart when your senior leader videographs a Member of Parliament mocking the Institution of Chairman, as an individual takes on me,” he said, referring to Kalyan Banerjee and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Kalyan Banerjee, during the protest with other suspended MPs at Parliament’s Makar Dwar, was seen mimicking the Vice President while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen filming the Trinamool MP using his Phone.
“Don’t take on my background as a farmer, don’t take on my background as a community member. Institution of Chairman has been ravaged and that too by a political party that has gone far so long that a Member of Parliament, a senior one, videographs the other member. For what?,”the Chairman said.
“I had suffered, I tell you. On Instagram, Mr Chidambram, your party posted a video, which was withdrawn later on. That was a shame to me. You used the official Twitter handle of the spokesperson to demean me, insult me, insult my background as a farmer, my position as a Jat, and insult my position as a Chairman. These are too serious issues. Please go back to your seat,” he added.