New Delhi

Trinamool Congress parliamentarian and one of India’s opposition members Kalyan Banerjee again mocked Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and said that he would continue “a thousand times”.

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Speaking at an event in Seramore in West Bengal state on Saturday (Dec 23), Banerjee, who has been suspended from the house, said that mocking the vice president is “an art form”, and a fundamental right of expression.

'It is an art form'

“I will keep doing the mimicry. It is an art form. If needed, I will do it a thousand times. I have all the fundamental rights to express my views. You can put me in jail. I will not step back,” said Banerjee, who is one of the Members of Parliament who has been suspended from the house.

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The TMC MP further criticised Dhankhar saying that he was getting upset over a ‘frivolous issue’.

A political row had erupted a few days earlier after a video of Banerjee appearing to mock Dhankar outside the parliament went viral. The clip was reportedly recorded by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi.

Banerjee’s mimicry had come in the backdrop of Dhankhar, who is also the chairman of Rajya Sabha, suspending a record 146 MPs for “unruly conduct” after they demanded a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the Parliament security breach.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu spoke to Dhankhar following the incident and expressed their support.

Political slugfest refuses to stop

Banerjee reportedly claimed that he was merely following the footsteps of the prime minister and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman who, he claims, also mocked the opposition.

“We took them sportingly. Now if he starts crying without understanding the joke, there is nothing I can do...,” Banerjee said, mocking that “Dhankhar cried like a child”.

Responding to the whole controversy Dhankhar put forth his perspective by highlighting his role as a 'sufferer' despite holding one of the highest public offices.

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Dhankhar emphasised the need for integrity and high ethical standards, acknowledging the pressures faced in the service of Bharat Mata (mother India).

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He also said that the Trinamool MP's “shameful” act of mimicry had pained him and that he had been insulted as a farmer's son from the Jat community. He had also hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for filming Banerjee's act.