Clarion India
NEW DELHI — Opposition parties including Congress, NCP, DMK and TMC moved privilege motions against the BJP MP, Ramesh Bidhuri for verbally abusing BSP MP Danish Ali on the floor of Lok Sabha on Friday.
The Opposition parties also demanded strict action against Bidhuri who used terms like “Muslim ugrawadi” (Muslim terrorist), “Bharwa” (pimp), and “katwa” (circumcised) to refer to Danish Ali.
According to reports, DMK’s Kanimozhi called for immediate action and said, “His words cannot be trivialised as mere unparliamentary language; they egregiously undermine the dignity of the Parliament and constitute a grievous affront to democracy and our entire nation.”
TMC MP Aparuppa Poddar wrote to the Speaker seeking to refer the issue to Privileges Committee. “The precedents and practice show that the Committee of Privileges has the jurisdiction to examine questions of breach on privilege on statements made inside the House,” the letter said.
NCP’s Supriya Sule too moved a privilege motion against Bidhuri as the statements he made “prima facie constitutes a Breach of Privilege and they undermine the dignity of the Lok Sabha.”
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met Danish Ali, BSP MP from Amroha, at his residence to show solidarity. “Nafrat ke bazaar mai mohabbat ki dukaan (Shop of love in the market of hatred),” Gandhi said in a post on ‘X’ after meeting him. Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also wrote a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla over the issue of derogatory statements made by Ramesh Bidhuri against Danish Ali.
“Never in the history of the Parliament have such words been used against a member of the minority community, and that too in the presence of the speaker. Considering the circumstances and the brazen violation of all norms and rules relating to the functioning of the House, it would only be appropriate to have the matter examined in detail by the Privileges Committee and punitive action taken against the errant Member,” Chowdhury wrote in the letter.
Danish Ali has urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to take action against BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri for his communal slurs against him during the debate in the House on the Chandrayaan-3 mission on Thursday night.
Opposition parties including the Congress outraged by Bidhuri’s remarks, which have been expunged from the Lok Sabha records, have demanded his suspension from the House.
“It is an absolute shame what Ramesh Bidhuri has said. Rajnath Singh’s apology is simply not acceptable. It is a half-hearted apology. It is an insult to Parliament. It makes a mockery of what the Prime Minister keeps repeating, ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’. If this is not a case for suspension of Bidhuri, then what is? Ramesh Bidhuri had spoken in a language which is an insult to every MP, not just Danish Ali. The Defence Minister’s apology is just an eyewash,” Congress communications head Jairam Ramesh said.
