PM, Prez reach out to Dhankhar as political controversy intensifies

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar to convey his "pain", and President Droupadi Murmu stressed that protests should not cross the "norms of dignity and courtesy" as suspended Trinamool Congress (TMC) lawmaker Kalyan Banerjee faced strong criticism for ostensibly mimicking the Rajya Sabha Chairman in the Parliament complex on Tuesday.

- Smriti Kak Ramachandran

Sharing details of the conversation with the Prime Minister, Dhankhar said in a post on X that Modi told him that he too has been at the receiving end of insults for the last 20 years. Dhankhar also thanked President Murmu for expressing her "dismay" over how the VP was treated.

"Received a telephone call from the Prime Minister, Shri @narendramodi Ji. He expressed great pain over the abject theatrics of some Honourable MPs and that too in the sacred Parliament complex yesterday..." Dhankhar wrote.

"He told me that he has been at the receiving end of such insults for twenty years and counting but the fact that it could happen to a Constitutional office like the Vice President of India and that too in the Parliament was unfortunate," Dhankhar added.

He also said that he told the PM that he remains committed to the values enshrined in the Constitution from the bottom of his heart. "None of the insults will make me change my path..."