New Delhi:
The BJP and the opposition traded complaints to a parliamentary panel Thursday over MP Ramesh Bidhuri’s Islamophobic rant at BSP lawmaker Danish Ali. The BJP has claimed “indecent remarks” about Prime Minister Narendra Modi led to the vile attack.

Here are the top 10 points in this big story:

New Delhi:

BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri – who last week hurled Islamophobic abuses and vile slurs at Bahujan Samaj Party lawmaker Kunwar Danish Ali – has been tasked with leading the party’s poll campaign in Rajasthan’s Tonk, an appointment denounced by a furious opposition as “reward for hate”.

Mr Bidhuri is from the Gurjar community and the BJP is banking on him to swing votes in the district’s four seats, one of which is held by Congress leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot. Mr Pilot’s Tonk seat has historically alternated between the two parties; in 2013 it was won by the BJP’s Ajit Singh Mehta. The last time it retained a MLA was the BJP’s Mahaveer Prasad in 1993.

On Wednesday Mr Bidhuri attended a meeting in Jaipur chaired by the BJP’s state boss, CP Joshi.

राजस्थान प्रदेश भाजपा कार्यालय जयपुर में ज़िला टोंक की समन्वय बैठक में प्रदेश अध्यक्ष श्री @cpjoshiBJP जी द्वारा संगठनात्मक कार्यों व चुनाव की तैयारियों के साथ सेवा सप्ताह के कार्यक्रमों सहित आगामी कार्यकर्ताओं के प्रवास योजनाओं की जानकारी लेते हुए। pic.twitter.com/wK63ctXR6X

— Ramesh Bidhuri (@rameshbidhuri) September 27, 2023

Speaking to NDTV a day after the abuse, Mr Ali said he had been left traumatised and shaken.

“Was this special session called to attack elected MPs by linking them to their community? This has shamed the entire country. We will see whether his party will take action or promote him,” he had said.

READ |“Considering Leaving Parliament If…”: Danish Ali On BJP MP’s Remarks

Mr Bidhuri’s deployment has been criticised by the opposition, with independent Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal accusing the BJP of having “rewarded” Ramesh Bidhuri for his shocking outburst in Parliament.

“BJP rewards ‘hate’. Bidhuri rewarded for attacking Danish Ali (with) unspeakable words he used in the Special Session of Parliament. Made BJP in-charge of Tonk District in Rajasthan,” Mr Sibal said.

He pointed out that Muslims account for nearly 30 per cent of Tonk’s population and posted on X, “(The appointment of Ramesh Bidhuri) symbolises ‘hate’ for political dividends.”

Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra also responded, tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi on her X post and asking the PM “is this your Sneha Yatra (‘love outreach’) for minorities?”

READ |“Reward For Hate”: Opposition On New Poll Duty For BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri

A distraught Mr Ali on Tuesday released footage (from Parliament) of that day, in which he is responding angrily to Mr Bidhuri’s outburst. The clip was released to counter BJP lawmakers’ claims the communal slurs flung at him were because of casteist slurs against Prime Minister Modi.

In the 33-second clip shared on X (formerly Twitter), a furious Mr Ali is seen and heard defending himself after Ramesh Bidhuri’s “abuses and extreme provocation”.

READ |“How Can This Be Allowed?” Danish Ali Releases Video After BJP MP’s Attack

“What (is he) saying? Can any terrorist enter into this House? He must apologise… yeh kya hain? How can he be allowed to say this?” he demands of the Congress who was the temporary Chair.

“… I didn’t utter a single word that could harm the sanctity of the temple of democracy. Even I didn’t repeat what Ramesh Bidhuri said about me and my community…” Mr Ali wrote on X.

Despite the abuses and extreme provocation, I didn’t utter a single word that could harm the sanctity of the temple of democracy. Even I didn’t repeat what Mr @rameshbidhuri said about me and my community. Inspite of it @BJP4India is trying it’s best to create a false narrative. pic.twitter.com/yApQ6w1vJR

— Kunwar Danish Ali (@KDanishAli) September 26, 2023

Mr Bidhuri has not yet commented on this row; he has only said the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who warned him of “strict action” if he repeats such behaviour, will rule on the matter.

READ | “No Comments, Speaker Will…”: Ramesh Bidhuri On Abusing MP In Parliament

The opposition has attacked the BJP over lack of disciplinary action against Mr Bidhuri, who has so far only been served a show-cause notice. He met party boss JP Nadda in Delhi this week but details of the meeting were not released and it is unclear if the BJP plans to sanction him at all.

READ | BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri Meets JP Nadda After Party Serves Notice For Slurs

Mr Bidhuri has considerable influence among his community and the BJP appears focused now on planning and prepping for the Rajasthan Assembly election due later this year.

On Monday Danish Ali questioned delay in action against Ramesh Bidhuri and said he feared the vulgar comments were part of a plan by the BJP to “build a new narrative” against Muslims in India.

READ | “Creating Narrative For My Lynching”: MP Danish Ali On BJP Leader’s Letter

On the Nadda-Bidhuri meeting he said, “If they would have been sincere in taking action, why would they be calling him… what proof do they need, everything is on record…”

New Delhi:

Amid the row over BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri’s derogatory remarks in the Lok Sabha, BSP MP Danish Ali on Monday questioned the “delay” in action against the leader of the ruling party and alleged that the comments seem to have been sanctioned by the BJP’s top leadership to build a narrative around him and his community.

Mr Ali also claimed that evidence was being “dug up” against him from that day when the incident took place.

Mr Bidhuri’s derogatory remarks targeting Ali during a discussion on the success of the Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission in the Lok Sabha last Thursday have sparked a furore, with opposition leaders calling for stringent action against the BJP MP.

“There is delay in taking action, and evidence is being dug up against me from that day (when Bidhuri made the remarks). I challenge that if there is any evidence against me, then put it forward,” the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP told PTI.

“The pathshala that Danish Ali has studied in did not teach hatred. This is your (BJP) behaviour, your culture. The prime minister had said on the first day in the new Parliament building that people ‘will identify you with your behaviour and decide accordingly on which side of the Parliament one will sit’. The people of the country have seen the behaviour of the BJP,” Mr Ali said.

On his future course of action, the Amroha MP hoped action will be taken and said it should be taken. Anyone who has faith in democracy wants that action is taken, he added.

Asked about Mr Bidhuri meeting BJP chief JP Nadda at the party’s headquarters, Ali said, “If they (the BJP) would have been sincere in taking action, why would they be calling him and asking, everything is on record. Is there a conspiracy to build a new narrative.”

“What proof do they need, everything is on record. From the last two days, it seems that there was a sanction from the BJP’s top leadership for this that ‘you say this’, there is a reaction and a different narrative can be run around me and my community,” he said.

On BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s critical comments against him, Ali said, “Are you talking about the same person who is the molester of women wrestlers. He has been chargesheeted by the Delhi Police. Will he teach us what should be done. People have elected us and we always raise valid points.”

The BSP leader was referring to the sexual harassment case lodged by women wrestlers against Singh, a former chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).

Asked about the allegations by several BJP leaders that he indulges in “running commentary” in the House and disturbs them, the BSP leader said this is Parliament and not “the gurukul or the laboratory of Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi”.

“We are in a parliamentary democracy. People have elected us and have given us the role of sitting in the opposition. So, I carry out the responsibility of an MP of the opposition,” he asserted.

Mr Ali said he has been raising important points in the Lok Sabha and pointed out that when the no-confidence motion was being discussed, a scroll was being run on Sansad TV on the government’s achievements, and he had flagged the issue. The Chair then accepted it and it was corrected, he added.

The no-confidence motion was brought against the government in the Monsoon session of Parliament.

Opposition parties have rallied around Ali and targeted the BJP on its MP’s remarks.

Several members of the Congress, TMC and NCP among others have written to Speaker Om Birla seeking the strictest action against Mr Bidhuri.

New Delhi:

Bahujan Samaj Party MP Danish Ali has made a serious allegation against BJP MP Nishikant Dubey over the controversy surrounding the communal comments in the Lok Sabha by Ramesh Bidhuri, another BJP MP.

Mr Dubey, while condemning the comments by his party colleague, also alleged that Mr Ali used casteist slur against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which provoked Mr Bidhuri to lash out at the leader from Mayawati’s party.

“No civilised society can accept the statement given by Ramesh Vidhuri ji in the Lok Sabha as correct… But the Lok Sabha Speaker should also investigate the indecent words and conduct of Danish Ali,” Mr Dubey said in a post on X.

“According to the rules and procedures of the Lok Sabha, interrupting an MP during the scheduled time, speaking while sitting… also comes under the ambit of punishment. I have been an MP for the past 15 years. I stay in the house for the longest time, from opening of the Lok Sabha till its closing. I never thought I would see such a day,” Mr Dubey posted in Hindi.

रमेश विधुडी जी के लोकसभा में दिए बयान को कोई भी सभ्य समाज ठीक नहीं कह सकता,इसकी जितनी निंदा की जाए कम है लेकिन @loksabhaspeaker जी को सांसद दानिश अली के भी अमर्यादित शब्दों व आचरण की जॉंच करनी चाहिए ।लोकसभा की नियम प्रक्रियाओं के तहत किसी सांसद के निर्धारित समय के बीच टोकना,बैठे…

— Dr Nishikant Dubey (@nishikant_dubey) September 23, 2023

Responding to the allegation, Mr Ali the said goal behind the comment by the BJP MP was to enable his “physical lynching outside the house” since “verbal lynching” had already happened inside.

“BJP MP Nishikant Dubey’s letter (to Lok Sabha Speaker) is to create a narrative pertaining to my lynching outside the house as my verbal lynching already took place,” Mr Ali told news agency PTI today.

During a discussion on the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, Mr Bidhuri had used a string of objectionable and communal words against the BSP MP, triggering disgust and widespread condemnation both from politicians and people on social media.

On Friday, the BJP also issued a show cause notice to Mr Bidhuri and asked him to explain his conduct.

Mr Bidhuri alleged that when he was speaking, the BSP MP was “busy instigating” him and also – at the top of his voice – made a “highly objectionable and blasphemous remark” against PM Modi.

New Delhi:

Hours after being accused of provoking the BJP MP who hurled communal slurs at him in the Lok Sabha, Bahujan Samaj Party member Danish Ali hit back at the ruling party and said that it was trying to frame a narrative against him. 

Mr Ali said that, far from provoking or instigating BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri by making an objectionable remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi – as was alleged by the party’s Nishikant Dubey earlier in the day – he was trying to get the abusive words expunged from the record. 

During a discussion on the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, Mr Bidhuri had used a string of objectionable and communal words against the BSP MP, triggering disgust and widespread condemnation both from politicians and people on social media. On Friday, the BJP had also issued a show-cause notice to Mr Bidhuri and asked him to explain his conduct. 

On Saturday, however, BJP Nishikant Dubey, while condemning the language used by Mr Bidhuri, wrote to Speaker Om Birla and demanded that the “unsavoury” conduct of Mr Ali be investigated as well. 

“The fact remains that during the entire speech of Shri Bidhuri, Shri Danish Ali indulged in a ‘running commentary’ and also made unsavoury remarks towards one and all with a view to cause hindrance to Shri Bidhuri and also instigate him to ‘lose his calm and composure’ and not be able to express his views in the House,” Mr Dubey wrote in his letter. 

The BJP MP alleged that when Mr Bidhuri was speaking, the BSP MP was “busy instigating” him and also – at the top of his voice – made a “highly objectionable and blasphemous remark” against PM Modi. 

“This statement made by Danish Ali, I think, was more than enough for any patriotic public representative to ‘lose his calm’ and fall into his trap by uttering unsavoury words,” Mr Dubey said, requesting the Speaker to ensure that the remarks made by Mr Ali are probed as well. 

New Delhi:

Kunwar Danish Ali, Lok Sabha MP from Mayawati’s party BSP, today said he is, with a heavy heart, considering “leaving” the parliament if no action is taken against BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri, who used communal slurs against him inside the lower house last evening. If this can happen to me, what will happen to a common man? Mr Ali said, adding that he couldn’t sleep all night as he felt like his brain was about to ‘explode’.

“Was this special session (of the parliament) called to attack elected MPs by linking them to their community? This has shamed the entire country. We will see whether his party will take any action against him or promote him. This is hate speech,” Kunwar Danish Ali told NDTV.

The BSP MP said he submitted a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker demanding action against Mr Bidhuri, who made the objectionable remarks during a discussion in Lok Sabha on the “success of Chandrayaan”.

“This is the first time that this indecent language has been used against an elected MP. This is a threat,” Mr Ali said, and questioned if this is what’s taught to the cadre of the “laboratory of new India”.

Kunwar Danish Ali, in his letter to the Speaker, said the BJP MP directed the “most foul, abusive invectives” against him which are part of the record of the Lok Sabha.

“This is most unfortunate and the fact that it has happened in a new parliament building under your leadership as Speaker is truly heartbreaking for me as a minority member of this great nation and an elected Member of Parliament as well,” he said, and gave notice under rule 222, 226, 227 of the rules of procedure and conduct of business in Lok Sabha, which relate to reporting a breach of parliamentary privilege by a member, and referring any question of privilege to the Committee of Privileges for examination, investigation, or report.

“Since this is the only way out to discipline an experienced member so that the atmosphere of our country is not vitiated any further. I request your good self to kindly order an inquiry into the matter,” Kunwar Danish Ali said in conclusion of his letter.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla today warned Ramesh Bidhuri of “severe action” and expunged his Islamophobic slurs from house records.

As opposition leaders slammed the BJP MP and demanded action against him, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed regret in the House shortly afterwards.

“I express regret if the opposition is hurt by the remarks made by the member,” the Defence Minister said.

But the opposition said the apology was not enough, that Mr Bidhuri should be suspended or arrested.

“It’s an absolute shame. Rajnath Singh’s apology is not acceptable and half-hearted. This is an insult to parliament, this is a clear case of suspension and Bidhuri statement is an insult to every Indian,” said Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, demanding “strictest possible action” against the BJP leader.

BJP has issued a show-cause notice to South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri for using unparliamentary language. He has been directed to respond within 15 days, answering why action should not be taken against him for it.