'Art': TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee reacts to row over his mimicry of Jagdeep Dhankhar

In a recent controversy, Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee defended his mimicry of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar outside the parliament, stating that "mimicry is an art." Despite facing criticism from the Prime Minister and the President, Banerjee expressed high respect for Dhankhar.

He said, "I never had any intention to hurt anyone. Mimicry is an art. Have high respect for Dhankhar."

During a recorded incident, Banerjee mimicked Dhankhar, who chairs the Rajya Sabha. The act was captured on video, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi seen filming it. He questioned whether Dhankhar's actual behaviour in the Rajya Sabha matched his portrayal during the "mock parliament" scenario.

Banerjee mentioned that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi had engaged in mimicry in the Lok Sabha between 2014 and 2019. Dhankhar had condemned the incident as a "personal attack," leading ruling alliance MPs to plan a symbolic gesture of standing in the Rajya Sabha for an hour to show respect.

Despite the controversy, Banerjee stood firm on his stance, maintaining that his mimicry was part of a mock parliament scenario and not intended to offend Dhankhar. The situation has sparked discussions on the boundaries of political expression within parliamentary settings.