The Privileges Committee has been tasked with investigating the case of BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri, who used communal slurs against a Muslim MP in the Lok Sabha. This action comes a day after Bidhuri was appointed to lead the BJP’s election campaign in Rajasthan, which has sparked criticism and allegations of rewarding hate from the opposition.
During a special session in the Lok Sabha last week, Bidhuri made objectionable and communal remarks against Bahujan Samaj Party MP Danish Ali. The opposition parties, including Congress, DMK, Trinamool Congress, and NCP, condemned his remarks and demanded immediate punitive action against him. However, Speaker Om Birla warned Bidhuri of “strict action” if he repeated such behavior.
The referral of the matter to the Privileges Committee was announced by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who thanked the Speaker for his decision. He also took a dig at the opposition and cited previous instances of errant MPs from other parties not facing any action. Dubey mentioned incidents like the shoe and mic fight involving RJD-JDU-Congress in 2016, an assault by Sonia Gandhi in 2012, and a fistfight during the formation of Telangana in 2014.
Earlier, Dubey had accused Sonia Gandhi of trying to physically intimidate a Samajwadi Party member during chaos in the Parliament in 2012. He also blamed Danish Ali for provoking Bidhuri into making the objectionable remarks.
Despite issuing a notice to Bidhuri for his abusive language, the BJP appointed him to lead the party’s election campaign in Tonk district, Rajasthan. The party hopes that Bidhuri’s affiliation with the Gurjar community can help secure votes in the district, which includes a seat held by Sachin Pilot of the Congress.
Critics, however, have slammed the BJP for rewarding hate and questioned the decision to give Bidhuri a new role. Independent MP Kapil Sibal criticized the party, while Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra questioned whether this decision aligns with the BJP’s outreach efforts towards minorities.