Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday said he had a word with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after videos of his mimicry by a Trinamool MP in the parliament premises went viral.
Mr Dhankhar, who had earlier described the incident as a "personal attack", said PM Modi expressed pain over the incident and told him that he has been at the "receiving end of such insults" for 20 years.
"Received a telephone call from the Prime Minister, Shri @narendramodi Ji. He expressed great pain over the abject theatrics of some Honourable MPs and that too in the sacred Parliament complex yesterday," he said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
"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," Mr Dhankhar added.
Serampore MP Kalyan Banerjee was seen mimicking the Rajya Sabha chairman outside the parliament yesterday and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was noticed filming the act. The MPs had gathered outside after many from the opposition camp were suspended following an uproar over the recent security breach.
The MPs from BJP-led NDA grouping are standing for an hour in the Rajya Sabha in respect of the Chairman - a symbolic gesture by the ruling alliance that comes a day after the parody incident.
Mr Dhankhar also shared that he told the Prime Minister such "antics" won't prevent him from performing his duties.
"I told him- Mr. Prime Minister, the antics of a few won't prevent me from performing my duty and upholding the principles enshrined in our Constitution. I am committed to those values from the bottom of my heart. None of the insults will make me change my path," he said.
Mr Dhankhar, who had been at loggerheads with the Trinamool MP's boss Mamata Banerjee when he was the West Bengal Governor, had earlier described the mimicry as an insult of his farmer family background and of the Jat community he comes from.
Not just the Prime Minister, even President Droupadi Murmu has expressed dismay over the incident and called on the MPs to ensure their expression is within the norms of dignity.
"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," she said.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla met Mr Dhankhar today and termed the act by the Opposition MPs as "demeaning".
"Conveyed my deep concerns and anguish @VPIndia and Hon'ble Chairman, Rajyasabha about serious misdemeanor by Hon'ble MPs in Parliament complex demeaning and denigrating the constitutional office of Vice President," said Mr Birla.
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