"Were farmers not insulted time and time again by you...": Randeep Surjewala targets BJP

Jind (Haryana) [India], December 20 : Facing heat on the mimicry incident of Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala on Wednesday said that it was the BJP under which farmers were "shamed and insulted" when they protested against the three repealed farm laws.
The remarks came after Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar in the House called the mimicry incident a "personal attack" and the "insult of a farmer, or community.
"I want to ask the Modi govt, were lakhs of farmers not insulted when they were bearing the cold, hunger and sitting at the borders of Delhi, protesting against the farm laws? Were the farmers not insulted when the BJP leaders were terming them as militants, naxals and anti-social elements?" Surjewala said.
"Time and time again you have insulted those belonging to farming communities.Were the female wrestlers who are daughters of farmers not insulted by your government?" he added.
Stating that those who hold constitutional posts have no religion or caste, Surjewala said, "Whatever big post is it, Be it Prime Minister, Home Minister, Lok Sabha speaker, or Rajya Sabha Chairman they have no religion or caste. They have only one sense of duty that is to protect the constitution and parliamentary democracy."
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 Presiden Jagdeep Dhankhar, while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen filming the Trinamool MP using his phone.
Meanwhile, the women MPs of the BJP protested at the Gandhi statue on Parliament premises, over the mimicry row.
Earlier, hitting out at the media for not discussing the suspension of members extensively, 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".
Amid the controversy over the mimicry incident of Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications, Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday asked for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's response over insulting his political opponents in last 20 years and said that BJP leaders are fuelling the mimicry row to divert attention from real issues.
The remarks came after Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday revealed the details of his telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Modi, where the latter mentioned that he had been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting.
In this regard, Jairam Ramesh shared a video on X (former Twitter) where PM Modi is targetting senior Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
"The Prime Minister has said that he has been suffering insults for the last twenty years. But what will he say about the way he has insulted his political opponents and used abusive and indecent language against them in the last 20 years? This is their cliched way of diverting attention from the real issue.
Earlier, on Tuesday, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi demanded an apology from the INDIA bloc over the mimicry incident of Dhankar and said that the opposition members tried to belittle the image of the Vice President adding that they are against the tribal and farming communities of the nation.
"From the beginning, Congress has deliberately been insulting our President, who comes from the tribal community and from day one their party leader in other houses has insulted her. This puts a question on their mental state," he said.
"A senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan Chief Minister also questioned the visit of Vice President to Rajasthan, when even model code of conduct was not in place. Their party attitude is against kisan (farmers), tribal and Jat communities. Congress and the Ghamandiya alliance should apologise. They tried to belittle the Vice President's image. This is highly condemnable. If little sense prevails in you then you should apologise I condemn the actions of Kalyan Banerjee and Rahul Gandhi," he added.
However, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders expressed anguish over the mimicry incident of the Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said that it is not in their character to insult anyone and further slammed the Prime Minister for not making a statement inside the House on the Parliament security breach incident.
On Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar's remarks that his caste is also being attacked over mimicry row, Mallikarjun Kharge said, "Even my caste is always affected because I am not allowed to speak (in the House). They don't answer my questions."
Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dialled Jagdeep Dhankhar to express his anguish over the theatrics of a member in the 'sacred' Parliament complex.
Vice President Dhankhar said he received a telephone call from Prime Minister Modi during which he said he had been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting but doing the same to a Constitutional office in the Parliament was unfortunate.
Replying to Prime Minister Modi, the Rajya Sabha Chairman said none of the insults will make him change his path adding that he is committed to upholding the values that he holds dear."I told him- Mr. Prime Minister, the antics of a few won't prevent me from performing my duty and upholding the principles enshrined in our Constitution. I am committed to those values from the bottom of my heart. None of the insults will make me change my path," Dhankhar posted.
Meanwhile, weighing in on the mimicry row, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday claimed it was a ploy to deflect public attention from the suspension of 141 MPs from the Parliament.