Congress chief whip in Lok Sabha Kodikunnil Suresh on Saturday wrote to Speaker Om Birla demanding immediate suspension of BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri over the communal slurs he used against BSP lawmaker Danish Ali on the floor of the House. Suresh also demanded that the matter be referred to the privilege committee, stressing that a member of Parliament “behaving like a hatemonger in the hallowed halls of our democracy is a shocking aberration which must never be tolerated”.
Suresh, as a member of the panel of chairperson, was presiding over the Lok Sabha proceedings when the incident occurred Thursday. The members of the panel preside over House proceedings when both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker are not present.
“Ever since I have assumed the responsibility of being on the panel of Chairpersons in the Lok Sabha, it has been my endeavour to ensure the spirit of the constitution and uphold the values of the August House,” the MP said.
“However, the most appalling and unfortunate incident that shook the very core of every value to which we all stand guard, took place in the new Parliament House where Ramesh Bidhuri, a BJP MP misbehaved and brought immense shame to the house.”
He said he was conducting the affairs of the House when Biduri “started using vulgar expletives, communal remarks and made vile and disgusting comments directed against Danish Ali “.
“Since the translation services were not optimal and the House was erupting in protest, I could not make out the exact meaning of the utterances of Ramesh Biduri, but sensing the situation, I immediately ordered for the expunging of all terms, usages and expletives from the record that were spoken by Ramesh Bidhuri, and ensured the hate-filled remarks are permanently expunged and removed,” he said.
Amid the Opposition’s uproar against Bidhuri for his communal slurs at Danish Ali, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey claimed on Saturday that Ali allegedly provoked Bidhuri by targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Dubey maintained that Bidhuri used “inappropriate” and said, “whatever Ramesh Bidhuri uttered in the House on that date against another member of Parliament was inappropriate and I also oppose the usage of any such words by any MP against another member or their religious-cultural beliefs.”
Dubey also claimed “when Danish Ali was busy instigating Bidhuri with his intemperate comments, he made a highly objectionable and derogatory remark against PM Narendra Modi. In his desperation to denigrate the ruling dispensation and the PM’s achievement on landing Chandrayaan 3 on the moon, he screamed across the isle without the microphone but could be clearly heard saying that “Neech ko neech nehi kahenge toh kya kahenge.”
While Ali and other Opposition leaders cited video footage of Bidhuri calling Ali a Bhadwa (pimp), Katwa (circumcised) and Mullah Atankvadi (Muslim terrorist), Dubey’s allegations were not immediately supported by any proof.
