Has ruined Bengal's culture: BJP's Saumitra tears into TMC on mimicry row

The BJP Lok Sabha MP said, First, it was (TMC MLA) Akhil Giri who made an offensive remark against our President and now we have one of their MPs mimicking the mannerisms of our Vice President

Launching a scathing attack on the Trinamool Congress over the mocking of Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar by suspended MP Kalyan Banerjee on the Parliament premises, BJP leader Saumitra Khan on Thursday said the ruling party in West Bengal has put the state's age-old culture to shame.

Speaking to ANI on Thursday, the BJP Lok Sabha MP from Bishnupur, West Bengal, said, "First, it was (TMC MLA) Akhil Giri who made an offensive remark against our President and now we have one of their MPs mimicking the mannerisms of our Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman. They ruining and putting a stain on Bengal's proud cultural tradition. It's a matter of shame not just for the Bengali community but the entire country."

Also voicing his anger over Banerjee's crude impression of the Rajya Sabha chairman, Haryana Home Minister and BJP leader Anil Vij demanded earlier that the TMC leader's membership of the Lok Sabha be cancelled in light of this incident.

"Considering the way MP Kalyan Banerjee made fun of our Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on the Parliament premises, I feel that he should be stripped off his membership of the Lok Sabha and sent to a zoo," Vij said.

Also weighing in on the mimicry row, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who was pictured filming the act on his phone, accused the media on Wednesday of giving more play to the incident as opposed to focussing on the suspension of Opposition members from both Houses.

Speaking to reporters in the national capital on Wednesday, Rahul said, "Some MPs were sitting there (on the steps of the Parliament complex) and I shot a video of that. My video is on my phone. The media is showing it. Nobody said anything. So many of the Opposition MPs have been thrown out and there's not a word about it in the media. There is no discussion on Adani, Rafale or unemployment."

"Our MPs are disheartened as they are made to sit outside. Please show their side as well. What can we do if our friends in the media choose to put out just one side?" Rahul claimed.

A total of 143 MPs -- 97 from Lok Sabha and 46 from Rajya Sabha -- have been suspended so far for creating a ruckus and disrupting proceedings in both Houses, demanding a statement from Union Minister Amit Shah about the Parliament security breach incident.