!['Had Rahul Gandhi Not Taken A Video...': Mamata Banerjee On Mimicry Row 'Had Rahul Gandhi Not Taken A Video...': Mamata Banerjee On Mimicry Row](https://c.ndtvimg.com/2023-07/tln4fh6g_mamata-banerjee-ani_625x300_28_July_23.jpg)
New Delhi:
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee brushed off the huge political row over mimicry today, dubbing it “casually political”.
Asked to comment on the matter in Delhi today, Ms Banerjee said, “We respect everyone. This is not about disrespect. This is just casually political… Had Rahul (Gandhi) not taken a cellphone video, you would not have come to know about it even”.
Ms Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress has been in the eye of the storm since her party’s MP Kalyan Banerjee was seen outside parliament mimicking Rajya Sabha chairman and Vice -President Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Mr Gandhi faced BJP criticism for filming the moment on his cellphone.
Minutes earlier, around 100 Opposition MPs were suspended in both houses of parliament for their vocal demand that Union Home Minister Amit Shah make a statement on last week’s unprecedented security breach.
With the suspensions coming for the second day in a row, the Opposition was fuming.
The BJP has been livid since, and accused the Opposition of having no respect for constitutional positions. Today Mr Dhankhar said: “I don’t care about how much you insult Jagdeep Dhankhar. But I can’t tolerate (insult of) Vice President of India, farmers community, my community… I will not tolerate that I could not protect the dignity of my post, it is my duty to protect the dignity of this House.”
The Congress is fighting tooth and nail.
Senior party leader Randeep Surjewala, in a long post on social media, cited multiple instances where the BJP has “insulted” the constitution, farmers, their daughters who were wrestlers, and their relatives who are in the army.
➡️ विपक्ष मुक्त संसद संविधान का अपमान है।
➡️ विपक्ष मुक्त संसद प्रजातंत्र का गला घोंटता है।
➡️ विपक्ष मुक्त संसद संसदीय मर्यादा का हनन है।1. जब किसान आंदोलन में राजस्थान-हरियाणा-पंजाब व देश के किसानों को मोदी सरकार के लोग उग्रवादी-नक्सलवादी-अराजक तत्व बता रहे तो क्या वो किसान… pic.twitter.com/T0l0ukJbqE
— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) December 20, 2023
“The dignity of the post does not come from caste but from the sense of duty. When the government itself is attacking the Constitution, then opposing it is true patriotism. Jai Hind!” his post read.
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Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has downplayed the controversy surrounding the mimicry incident involving her party’s MP Kalyan Banerjee. She dismissed it as “casually political” and stated that it was not about disrespect but rather a casual political matter. Mamata Banerjee also mentioned that if Rahul Gandhi had not filmed the incident on his cellphone, it would not have gained so much attention. The Trinamool Congress has faced criticism since the incident occurred outside parliament, with the BJP accusing the Opposition of lacking respect for constitutional positions. Meanwhile, the Congress party has been fighting back, highlighting instances where they believe the BJP has insulted the constitution, farmers, and other groups.