Caught in a massive row over his remarks against BSP MP Danish Ali in Lok Sabha, BJP Member of Parliament Ramesh Bidhuri met party president JP Nadda at the party office on Monday.
This meeting came following the party’s show-cause notice issued to Bidhuri over his offensive outburst that has drawn strong condemnation from the Opposition.
The BJP has refrained from making any statement regarding Bidhuri’s use of communal slurs. Instead, they have pointed out that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has received letters from various quarters calling for action against both Lok Sabha members involved in the controversy.
Also Read: BJP issues show-cause notice to its MP Ramesh Bidhuri, seeks reply in 10 days
A day after the incident during the Parliament’s special session, Danish Ali shared his distress with NDTV, revealing that he had been unable to sleep and was on the verge of a mental breakdown. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP even expressed contemplation of resigning from Parliament if no action is taken against Ramesh Bidhuri. He has submitted an appeal for action against Bidhuri.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has taken serious note of the offensive language used and has warned BJP MP Bidhuri of strict action if such behaviour is repeated. Critics from the opposition have been quick to highlight instances where non-BJP lawmakers faced suspension or restrictions for comparatively lesser offences.
On Sunday, Ali, who had also been targeted by another BJP MP, Nishikant Dubey, over allegations of using casteist slurs against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressed concerns that the comments were intended to provoke physical harm against him outside Parliament, following the verbal attacks he had already faced.
Kunwar Danish Ali remarked, “BJP MP Nishikant Dubey’s letter (to the Lok Sabha Speaker) is to create a narrative pertaining to my lynching outside Parliament as my verbal lynching already took place.”
Nishikant Dubey called for the Speaker to investigate Ali’s “indecent words and conduct,” a demand that was supported by a third BJP MP. Many perceive this move as an attempt by the party to divert attention from Ramesh Bidhuri’s controversial comments and place blame on Ali
BJP MP Ravi Kisan Shukla also wrote to the Speaker on Sunday, demanding an inquiry into Danish Ali’s “unparliamentary” behaviour. In his letter, Ravi Shukla attributed Ramesh Bidhuri’s “inappropriate” comments to the “continuous heckling and disturbance by (Danish) Ali.”
Kunwar Danish Ali has garnered support from across party lines within the opposition, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi being among the first to visit him last week. Gandhi shared a photo of their meeting with the caption, “Nafrat ke bazaar mein, Mohabbat ki dukkan (In this marketplace of hatred, there is a shop of love).”
The incident involving Ali occurred during a discussion on India’s historic Moon mission, Chandrayaan-3.