Row over Trinamool leader mimicry of VP Dhankhar; BJP hits back
New Delhi, Dec 19: Suspended from Parliament, opposition leaders on Tuesday staged protests on the stairs of the building with Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee breaking into an impromptu skit mocking Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Rahul Gandhi making a video of the performance, sparking a political controversy.
The targeting of the vice president drew sharp reactions from the BJP as the Rajya Sabha chairman himself termed the opposition actions as "shameful" and "insult" of his background as a farmer and "position as a Jat".
"Imagine what must be going through my heart when your senior leader videographs a Member of Parliament mocking the institution of the chairman... Don't take on my background as a farmer," Dhankhar said in Rajya Sabha, addressing senior Congress leader P Chidambaram.
The institution of the chairman, he added, has been ravaged and that too by a political party that has ruled for so long.
"A member of Parliament videographing another one, for what. I had suffered, I tell you, on Instagram, Mr Chidambaram (who was present in the House), your party put a video that was withdrawn later on that was shame to me. You used Twitter, the official handle of the spokesperson to demean me, insult me, insult my background as a farmer, insult my position as a Jat, insult my position as chairman," Dhankhar said.
Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi termed this as a mockery of democracy and the constitutional institutions.
In a post on X, he said, "The I.N.D.I alliance reaches a new low as suspended TMC MP mimics a constitutional position, and the so-called messiah of democratic values, @RahulGandhi, stands there laughing at it. They are a disgrace to democracy, to the people they represent, and to the nation."
The BJP also termed Banerjee's conduct as condemnable.
"This is an example of how the opposition is sabotaging parliamentary democracy. TMC leader Kalyan Banerjee is mocking the Vice President in the Parliament premises, and Rahul Gandhi is recording the video; nothing can be more unfortunate than this," Rakesh Sinha, BJP Rajya Sabha member said.
Opposition members, who were suspended from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, had gathered on the stairs of Parliament on Tuesday morning raising slogans against the government and waving placards demanding a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah in the House on the security breach in Parliament.
Suddenly, Banerjee stood up and started mocking the Vice President by mimicking the way he walked and conducted the proceedings in Rajya Sabha.
Leaning forward with a bent back, Banerjee called out Rahul Gandhi who was standing with the opposition members and made certain remarks about having a spine.
The opposition members cheered Banerjee and Gandhi soon started making a video of Trinamool leader's performance mocking the vice president. Some opposition members also mimicked Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla's style of conducting House proceedings.
As the video of Banerjee's performance went viral on social media, the BJP slammed the opposition for insulting the institution of Parliament by mimicking the Lok Sabha Speaker and Rajya Sabha chairman.
"The opposition actions are condemnable. They are venting the frustration of their defeat in the assembly elections in Parliament and have shown utter disregard to the institution of Parliament," BJP Rajya Sabha member Dinesh Sharma said.
BJP spokesman Sambit Patra said those pretending to unite India are supporting those who want to divide the country. "Their main agenda is to break India and not unite India. The people of the country will break the arrogance of the arrogant coalition in 2024," Patra said.
A total of 141 members of Parliament have been suspended from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha for waving placards and raising slogans in the House.
Mockery of democracy and the constitutional institutions
— Pralhad Joshi (@JoshiPralhad) December 19, 2023
The I.N.D.I alliance reaches a new low as suspended TMC MP mimics a constitutional position, and the so-called messiah of democratic values, @RahulGandhi, stands there laughing at it.
They are a disgrace to democracy,… pic.twitter.com/T2K0LzJtLn
If the country was wondering why Opposition MPs were suspended, here is the reason…
— BJP (@BJP4India) December 19, 2023
TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee mocked the Honourable Vice President, while Rahul Gandhi lustily cheered him on. One can imagine how reckless and violative they have been of the House! pic.twitter.com/5o6VTTyF9C
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Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
