Senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh on Wednesday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee for “insulting” the Rajya Sabha chairperson in a shameful manner and condemned their actions as a blot on India’s democratic traditions.

In a strongly worded post on X, the defence minister said respect for those holding constitutional positions is the life force of democracy. “But the way political opposition is being turned into animosity to devalue Parliament’s dignity in such a low manner is a matter of concern for the entire political class,” he said, condemning the incident.

Mr Banerjee had, on Tuesday, mimicked Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar during a protest of opposition MPs against the suspension of a large number of their colleagues. Mr Gandhi was seen filming the incident.