Oppn’s demands for Bidhuri’s suspension from Lok Sabha grow louder: Who said what
As BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri’s “unparliamentary” speech in Lok Sabha continue to draw flak from the Opposition, the demand for his suspension from the Lok Sabha too has only gotten louder. Instead of basking in the glory of the passage of women’s quota bill, the BJP is scouring for damage control measures.
The expunction of the remarks against BSP MP Danish Ali, an immediate apology by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and a show-cause notice to Bidhuri — nothing seem to stop the Opposition who are demanding Bidhuri’s suspension from the House. Calling it “the blackest day in the history of Parliament”, they have demanded that the BJP suspend Bidhuri from the party. The CPI(M) demanded that Bidhuri be arrested for “hate speech”
Here are what some of the leaders have said:
BSP MP Danish Ali, whom Bidhuri’s statements were targeted towards, hoped for appropriate action against the BJP MP by the Speaker. “Otherwise I might think about leaving the membership of Parliament,” he said while speaking to news agency PTI.
In his letter to Speaker Om Birla seeking action against Bidhuri, Ali said among the words the BJP South Delhi MP used against him were “Bhadwa (pimp), Katwa (circumcised one),Mullah ugravadi (Muslim terrorist) atankvadi (terrorist) etc”. Birla has expunged the remarks, made late on Thursday evening during a discussion on the Chandrayaan 3 mission, and issued a warning to Bidhuri.
He also thanked Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for his solidarity. Gandhi met Ali at the latter’s New Delhi residence on Friday and, in a show of solidarity, hugged him in the presence of Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal. The Wayanad MP reiterated his ‘Nafrat ke bazaar mein mohabbat ki dukaan’ catchphrase in a social media post, declaring his support to Ali.
VIDEO | “I am thankful to Rahul Gandhi that he came and expressed solidarity with me,” says BSP MP @KDanishAli after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met him amid the controversy over derogatory remarks made by BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri against the BSP leader in Lok Sabha yesterday. pic.twitter.com/rBEzWf2pRq
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 22, 2023
Trinamool Congress Mahua Moitra, known for his fiery speeches in Lok Sabha, said the BJP has created an ecosystem where such things, which the bigots earlier used to say behind closed doors, are said in the open.
Speaking to news agency PTI, Moitra said: “Earlier, bigots used to say such things in a closed room, today BJP has created an ecosystem where they have made it normal to say such things in the open.” She added today Narendra Modi and the BJP have made it okay for people to say such things outside. “So, in a way I am ashamed, of course, that this happened. But in a way I am happy because it’s high time that the people saw the BJP’s true colours,” said Moitra.
VIDEO | “Earlier, bigots used to say such things in a closed room, today BJP has created an ecosystem where they have made it normal to say such things in the open. People have seen the true colours of the BJP,” says TMC MP @MahuaMoitra over derogatory remarks made by BJP MP… pic.twitter.com/gUGiqrJadd
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 22, 2023
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said the remarks called for his prosecution and a “lifetime ban”. Taking to X, previously Twitter, Yadav said not the face, but the words one speaks determines his or her identity.
“A BJP MP, intoxicated with power, addressing a minority MP from the opposition in a very indecent manner, is no less than a criminal incident. This is the worst form of negative politics of BJP in which the laughing participation of other BJP MPs shows that this is not the fault of any one BJP person but it is a display of shamelessness of the majority of BJP members. Such MPs should be prosecuted and banned for life for defaming not just any individual MP, but the entire Parliament and the Constitution, without any waiver of parliamentary privileges.”
इंसान की पहचान चेहरा नहीं; ज़ुबान होती है।
सत्ता के नशे में बेसुध भाजपा के एक सांसद द्वारा विपक्ष के एक अल्पसंख्यक सांसद को अति अभद्र तरीके से संबोधित करना किसी आपराधिक घटना से कम नहीं है। ये भाजपा की नकारात्मक राजनीति का निकृष्टतम रूप है जिसमें अन्य भाजपाई सांसदों का हँसते हुए…
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) September 22, 2023
Stating that the Bidhuri’s remarks against Danish Ali were beyond condemnation, Congress MP Rajiv Shukla wondered why hasn’t he been suspended yet. “Ramesh Bidhuri’s remarks are beyond condemnation. It is very wrong. The Lok Sabha Speaker should give the strictest punishment to him. Why hasn’t he been suspended yet?” said Shukla.
VIDEO | “Ramesh Bidhuri’s remarks are beyond condemnation. It is very wrong. The Lok Sabha Speaker should give the strictest punishment to him. Why hasn’t he been suspended yet?” says Congress MP @ShuklaRajiv on BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri’s objectionable remarks against BSP MP Danish… pic.twitter.com/OvsSfz0vMs
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 22, 2023
Meanwhile, AAP MP Sanjay Singh equated the “insult” to Ali with “insult to all Opposition MPs” . While talking to news agency ANI, Singh said: “…This is hooliganism. The language used by Ramesh Bidhuri inside the House is the language of a goon, mafia. He abused and used terrorist word for a respected MP… The insult to Danish Ali is an insult to all opposition MPs. I raised the Manipur issue and I was suspended, why no action is being taken against him… Action should be taken against him, ” Singh said.
#WATCH | AAP MP Sanjay Singh says, “…They (BJP) are doing hooliganism. The language used by Ramesh Bidhuri inside the House is the language of a goon, mafia. He abused and used terrorist word for a respected MP… The insult of Danish Ali is an insult to all opposition MPs. I… pic.twitter.com/mNmAFLaRE7
— ANI (@ANI) September 22, 2023
Maharashtra Congress Chief Nana Patole said someone with “such a mentality” within the Parliament is dangerous for democracy. “We strictly oppose the way the BJP MP abused the opposition MP in Parliament. BJP should change its mentality…India’s democracy has always been strong…It is very dangerous for the democracy of the country if someone has such a mentality in the Parliament,” Patole said while speaking to ANI
#WATCH | On BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri’s remark against BSP MP Danish Ali, Maharashtra Congress Chief Nana Patole says, “We strictly oppose the way the BJP MP abused the opposition MP in Parliament. BJP should change its mentality…India’s democracy has always been strong…It is… pic.twitter.com/FupxByyNJH
— ANI (@ANI) September 23, 2023
As clamour over the issue grows, the Opposition plans to write to Birla seeking that the matter be referred to the Lok Sabha Privileges Committee and demanded that the BJP suspend Bidhuri.
