New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday issued a show-cause notice to South Delhi BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri for his unparliamentary remarks against Bahujan Samaj Party MP Danish Ali and has sought a reply from Bidhuri, even as the party distanced itself from the outburst.
However, the party’s state unit said they will have to wait and see whether action will be taken.
Opposition parties have demanded strict action against Bidhuri, including suspension from the House and have written to Lok Speaker Om Birla to refer the issue to the privileges committee, PTI has reported.
According to the sources, Bidhuri was served another notice four years ago as well.
In October 2018, at a ‘Run For Unity’ event to commemorate the 143rd birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in South Delhi, Sangam Vihar councillor Chandan Kumar Choudhary and Bidhuri’s supporters, respectively, had come to blows allegedly over the issue of sharing the stage reports The Indian Express.
“The then Delhi BJP president and incumbent Northeast Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari had issued a show-cause notice to Bidhuri over the incident. The issue died a silent death after the latter replied that Tiwari, in his capacity as the president of the state unit, did not have the authority to issue such a notice to him,” it said.
“This is a matter that pertains to House proceedings; I have no comment to make” Bidhuri said when asked about the row over his derogatory remarks against BSP MP Danish Ali, which have been expunged from the Lok Sabha records.
A video, showing Union ministers Vardhan and Ravi Shankar Prasad ‘laughing’ during Bidhuri’s hate speech, was also shared widely on social media.
An MP from Amroha in Uttar Pradesh, Ali said that Bidhuri’s remarks came after 10 pm in the Lok Sabha, while the debate over the women’s reservation Bill was on in the Rajya Sabha and he had drawn the Speaker’s attention to it.
“The BJP MP was speaking in the House. During the speech, he said some people wanted Prime Minister Modi to die like a dog. I intervened and asked him what he was saying and that no one said that about the honourable Prime Minister. Then he called me names which included ‘terrorist’. I want to ask RSS chief Mohan Bhagwatji, what is taught in their shakhas? Is this what they learn in Prime Minister Modiji’s pathshala?” Ali asked, as reported by The Indian Express.
BJP leaders said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had apologised immediately after Bidhuri made the remarks in the Lok Sabha.
In his letter to the speaker Om Birla, Ali wrote: “I write to you with deep anguish regarding the speech given in the Lok Sabha by an MP of the BJP, Mr Ramesh Bidhuri, during the discussion on Chandrayaan success… During the course of his speech, he directed the most foul, abusive invectives against me, which are part of the records of the Lok Sabha. Among the words he directed against me were ‘Bhadwa’ (pimp),’Katwa’ (circumcised one),‘Mullah ugravadi’ (Muslim terrorist) ‘atankvadi’ ( terrorist) etc…”
Ali urged the Speaker to take action against Bidhuri over the offensive remarks made during the debate on Thursday night.
Ali on Friday also demanded the suspension of Bidhuri from the Lok Sabha and described the BJP parliamentarian’s offensive remarks against him as “hate speech”.
Addressing the media, the BSP MP further said that he is contemplating leaving the Parliament over the incident.
Bidhuri, according to party insiders, was given a ticket from the south Delhi Parliamentary constituency in 2014 as he was close to then-BJP national president and current Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, despite having lost the 2009 Lok Sabha election from the seat.