NEW DELHI: A political controversy erupted over BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri's use of religious slurs against BSP's Muslim MP Danish Ali during a debate in the Lok Sabha on the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission.
The Lok Sabha expunged these remarks from its records, and Speaker Om Birla warned BJP MP Bidhuri of "strict action" if such behaviour recurs, as per officials. The BJP issued a notice to its MP, seeking an explanation for his use of inappropriate language against the BSP MP.
However, the Congress called for the suspension of Bidhuri, asserting that his comments were an affront to the Parliament. Danish Ali, deeply affected by the incident, wrote to the Speaker, urging action against Bidhuri to prevent further deterioration of the country's atmosphere. He also requested that the matter be referred to the Committee of Privileges.
Ali later told reporters that he might contemplate leaving Parliament if he does not receive justice, expressing his concern for the treatment of elected members like himself and ordinary citizens.
The BJP issued a show cause notice to Bidhuri for his use of objectionable words in Parliament, seeking a response from the South Delhi MP for his use of unparliamentary language.
Trinamul Congress MP Mahua Moitra shared a video clip of the debate on Friday morning, addressing Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and BJP president J.P. Nadda. She criticised the BJP's culture of using derogatory language against Muslims and OBCs and called for action against Bidhuri.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed regret in the House over Bidhuri's offensive remarks, even though he had not heard them himself. He apologised if Bidhuri's comments had hurt the Opposition's feelings.
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah tweeted about the derogatory language used by Bidhuri and criticised Speaker Om Birla for not taking action against the abusive BJP MP. He pointed out that Opposition MPs have faced suspension for minor offences, while blatant abuse is seemingly condoned.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi stated that he wasn't shocked by the video and expressed doubt that any action would be taken against Bidhuri. He drew parallels between the treatment of Muslims in India and the treatment of Jews in Hitler's Germany.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh considered Bidhuri's remarks an insult to Parliament and demanded his suspension from the House. He said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's apology was insufficient and expressed disbelief at the language used by the BJP MP.
