Congress president Mallikarjun Mr. Kharge on December 20 said caste should not be dragged into every issue and wondered if he should rake up his Dalit origins every time he is not allowed to speak in the Rajya Sabha, amid a row over the mimicry of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Mr. Dhankhar, who is also Rajya Sabha Chairperson, has flayed the mimicry, calling it as an insult to his background as a farmer and ‘Jat’ (his caste). The ruling BJP has echoed a similar view.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Kharge said the Chairperson’s job is to give protection to other members but he himself is making such a statement.
“I am not allowed to speak in Rajya Sabha often. Should I say it is because I am a Dalit,” he added.
They should not incite people outside in the name of caste by talking about it inside, he said.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said it is a very sad day for the country when people holding constitutional positions talk about their castes.
Also read: Police complaint against TMC MP for mimicry of Vice-President in Parliament
The government is trying to wash its hands of the issue of Parliament’s security breach by taking up such an issue, he added.
Should everyone now move around wearing a label declaring their caste, he asked.
A political row broke out on December 19 after Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee derisively mimicked Mr. Dhankhar during the Opposition’s protest on the stairs of Parliament against the MP ..
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