Maharashtra Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha on Thursday lodged a complaint at Kalachowki police station in Mumbai and demanded the registration of an FIR against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee over the mimicry row of Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar.
In a post on X, Maharashtra Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha said, “We lodged a police complaint against Trinamool Congress MPs Kalyan Banerjee and Rahul Gandhi for their disrespectful remarks against the esteemed Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. In a firm stand against this incident, we also orchestrated a protest march from Bharatmata Cinema to Lalbagh Police Station.”
The controversy erupted after suspended Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee, during the protest with other suspended MPs at Parliament’s Makar Dwar, was seen mimicking Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen filming the Trinamool MP using his phone.
In his first remarks on the ongoing mimicry controversy, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that the media is entirely focused on showing the mimicry incident and not highlighting the pain and agony of the suspended MPs, adding that What can be done if the “media is totally running on one line”.
“MPs were sitting there, I shot their video. My video is on my phone. The media is showing it. Nobody has said anything.150 of our MPs have been thrown out (of the House) but there is no discussion on that in the media. There is no discussion on Adani, no discussion on Rafale, no discussion on unemployment,” Rahul Gandhi said.
“Our MPs are disheartened and sitting outside. Please show their side also. What can we do if you are totally running on one line,” he added.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dialled Jagdeep Dhankhar to express his anguish over the theatrics of a member in the ‘sacred’ Parliament complex.
BJP is also staging protests in parts of the country over the ongoing controversy.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders on Thursday staged a protest at Jantar Mantar against the opposition MPs and demanded an apology from them.
During the protest, BJP leader Manoj Tiwari came down heavily on the opposition over the insult to the Vice President of India. “This was an insult to farmers, his (Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar) community, and those sitting in constitutional posts. Rahul Gandhi, Congress, and their alliance will have to bear its brunt,” Tiwari said.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Bharatiya Janata Party held a protest in Bhopal against the opposition MPs and demanded an apology from them over the mimicry row.