The defence minister said the two MPs had insulted Mr Dhankhar in a shameful manner.
Senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh on Wednesday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee for "insulting" the Rajya Sabha chairperson in a shameful manner and condemned their actions as a blot on India's democratic traditions.
In a strongly worded post on X, the defence minister said respect for those holding constitutional positions is the life force of democracy. "But the way political opposition is being turned into animosity to devalue Parliament's dignity in such a low manner is a matter of concern for the entire political class," he said, condemning the incident.
Mr Banerjee had, on Tuesday, mimicked Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar during a protest of opposition MPs against the suspension of a large number of their colleagues. Mr Gandhi was seen filming the incident.
The Rajya Sabha chairperson claimed that it was an insult to his farmer background as well as the Jat community that he comes from. The BJP has echoed the view and accused the opposition of having a demeaning view of the OBCs (Other Backward Classes) and those from underprivileged backgrounds.
Mr Singh said, "The shameful manner in which the Vice President of India and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Jagdeep Dhankhar has been insulted by Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is a blot on India's democratic traditions."
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