Mimicry row: Kharge indirectly slams Dhankhar for bringing up caste
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday indirectly called out Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar for bringing caste into the ongoing row over his mimicry by a suspended MP. Kharge was speaking at Jantar Mantar, Delhi, where the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) protested against the suspension of 146 MPs during the Parliament Winter Session and to save democracy. In a veiled attack, Kharge urged people in constitutional posts to focus on upholding them rather than complaining about caste-based targeting.
Why does this story matter?
On Tuesday (December 19), video clips of suspended Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee mimicking Dhankhar were broadcast on television channels and shared on social media. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen recording Banerjee on his phone. Soon after, Vice President and Rajya Sabha Speaker Dhankhar slammed the act, labeling it "ridiculous, shameful, and unacceptable." Prime Minister Narendra Modi also dialed Dhankhar, stating that he has experienced such insults for over 20 years.
Kharge on dragging caste into mimicry row
"You are in a constitutional post; you have to uphold it and not whinge about caste and say I am being targeted for my caste," Kharge said at Jantar Mantar, without naming Dhankhar.
Kharge questions Dhankhar's Jat remark
Kharge—who is being touted as the opposition's prime ministerial candidate—was responding to Dhankhar's claims of being insulted due to his Jat background. Giving his own example, Kharge asked if he could claim that he was being silenced because he was a Dalit when the treasury benches prevented him from speaking in the Parliament. The row erupted earlier this week when TMC MP Banerjee was filmed mimicking Dhankhar outside the Parliament.
Watch: Kharge's full remarks at opposition protest
Opposition leaders hold protest at Jantar Mantar
Meanwhile, the INDIA protest saw participation from various opposition parties, including the Congress, TMC, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), among others. Kharge alleged the democracy was under threat under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government and called for unity among opposition parties. He declared, "When all unite, [Modi] won't be able to do anything... The more you try to crush us, the more we will rise. We are fighting unitedly to save the country and democracy."
Tharoor asks people to vote INDIA into power
Meanwhile, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor drew attention to the unprecedented suspension of opposition MPs, asserting, "In the history of democracy in the world, 146 MPs have never been suspended." He added that the INDIA protest aimed to inform people about the danger to democracy and that the current government's actions were "wrong for the future of the country." Tharoor encouraged people to change the government and bring the INDIA bloc into power.
