‘Will do it a thousand times’: TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee mimics VP Jagdeep Dhankhar again

TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee whose mimicry of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar stirred a row, mimicked him again on Sunday and called it an “art form”. Banerjee said that he will continue to mimic the Vice president 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," he said. The TMC MP also slammed VP Dhankhar for getting upset over a trivial issue. He was speaking at an event in West Bengal’s Shrirampur. 

TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee was seen mimicking the Vice President in the premises of the Parliament where Opposition MPs were protesting the suspension of over 140 MPs. In a video that has since gone viral, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was also seen capturing the entire mimicry act on his phone. Banerjee was mimicking Dhankhar’s gait by leaning forward and making a reference to his spine. “My spine is so straight, I’m so tall,” he was saying. 

Jagdeep Dhankhar later made a statement saying he would not tolerate any insult to the Parliament and the post of Vice President. He also expressed his anguish over Banerjee’s mimicry. 

"Dhankhar has property worth crores in Jodhpur and a luxurious flat in Delhi. He wears a suit worth lakhs of rupees,”  said TMC MP Banerjee in reference to Dhankhar’s statement that the farmers community was insulted by the mimicry. 

He also questioned Dhankhar’s “silence” on the retirement announcement by "farmer's daughter Sakshee Malikkh" and the returning of the Padma Shri by Bajrang Punia. Banerjee also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the security breach at the Parliament. Banerjee said that a BJP MP issued visitors’ passes to two intruders and the 146 Opposition MPs were suspended to save him. 

Meanwhile, a Supreme Court lawyer filed a complaint against Banerjee for the mimicry of Dhankhar. He said that the mimicry was “highly derogatory and offensive” to the dignity of the House. “It is a matter of great shame that the members of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha have been so disrespectful and loud-mouthed to a person who holds one of the highest positions in the Indian Parliament,” said the complaint.

Also read: Mimicry row: Complaint filed against TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee for mimicking VP Jagdeep Dhankhar