The recent controversy surrounding an Opposition Member of Parliament mimicking Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar within the parliamentary premises has evolved into a significant political spectacle.
During the opposition's protest against the suspension of parliamentarians, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee imitated Dhankhar, leading to a political skirmish. The incident, which occurred on the Parliament stairs, drew severe criticism from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Clips circulating showed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi recording the performance, intensifying the political discourse.
Expressing dismay over the incident, President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined the chorus of disapproval. On the floor of the Upper House, Dhankhar denounced the act as an "insult to Jats" and voiced his distress over a "senior Congress leader" capturing the performance.
The clash between the Congress and the BJP took a different turn with Sanjay Singh, a confidant of the former chief of the Wrestling Federation of India and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, emerging victorious in the wrestling body elections.
Congress underscored the shared community ties between the protesting wrestlers and Vice President Dhankhar, demanding clarification. The party raised questions about Dhankar's silence on wrestler Sakshee Malikkh's retirement following Sanjay Singh's election as the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).
Prominent Congress Jat leaders, including Randeep Singh Surjewala, Vijender Singh (renowned boxer and Olympian), and Alka Lamba, united on stage to criticize the BJP's handling of the WFI election and Malikkh's subsequent retirement.
Surjewala specifically queried the silence of the President, Prime Minister, and Vice President of India on Sakshee Malikkh's retirement, questioning why a farmer's daughter, who has earned medals for the nation, was compelled to retire as Brij Bhushan Singh's associate assumed the WFI presidency.
Former Olympian and boxer Vijendra Singh echoed these sentiments, characterizing it as a "sad and black day for sports" and challenging the government's "inaction." He raised concerns about the government's response if a similar situation befell their own daughters and sisters, pledging to advocate for the safety and livelihoods of athletes by engaging with them directly in akharas and stadiums.
