A day after leaders of Opposition parties wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla demanding action against BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri for his derogatory remarks about BSP MP Danish Ali, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has raised several instances of “unsavoury remarks” made by Opposition leaders and sought to constitute an “inquiry committee to investigate the utterances” during the discussion on Chandrayaan-3’s success.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, in his letter to Om Birla on Saturday, said that the inquiry committee should look into “the extent of culpability” of MPs who “instigate other citizens” with their comments in the House.
Dubey has also accused Ali of offering a running commentary during Bidhuri’s speech in Lok Sabha on Thursday and making unsavoury remarks aimed at instigating him to lose his composure.
“When Shri Danish Ali was busy in instigating Bidhuri with his intemperate comments, he made a highly objectionable and derogatory remark against our Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Jee. In his desperation to denigrate the ruling dispensation and Prime Minister’s achievement of landing Chandrayaan3 on the moon, he screamed across the aisle, without the microphone but could be clearly heard saying that “neech ko neech nahi kahenge to kya kahenge,” Dubey said. He added that it was more than enough for any patriotic public representative to lose his calm and fall into his trap by uttering unsavoury words.
“If Bidhuri has committed an inappropriate act, then, in my view, other Honourable Members, including Danish Ali, have also contributed to spreading enmity amongst communities,” Dubey said.
He said that the aspect of ‘Breach of Privilege’, which Danish Ali and some other members of Parliament have been quoting vociferously, cannot be a one-way street and if applied in isolation will be a serious and irrevocable ‘miscarriage of justice’.
“I, therefore, request you to constitute an ‘inquiry committee’ to investigate the utterances made by various members during the said discussion and also to inquire into the extent of culpability of various other Members of Parliament in instigating our citizens by way of their comments made in the House by taking shelter of Article 105 of our Constitution,” he said.
Dubey, however, has condemned the remarks of his party members made in the Lok Sabha.
“It is also a commendable display of profound respect for our ‘Temple of Democracy’ and maintaining the dignity of Parliament by your good self that the unsavoury words uttered by Shri Bidhuri were immediately expunged from the proceedings of the House. I along with other like-minded Members of Parliament congratulate your good self for your prompt action,” he said.
Ramesh Bidhuri’s objectionable remarks against Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP Danish Ali have triggered anger among the Opposition parties, with their demand for strict action against Bidhuri.
Ali has given an ultimatum of leaving the Parliament if the Speaker will not conduct an enquiry into the matter.
Meanwhile, the BJP has issued a show cause notice to party MP Ramesh Bidhuri on the instruction of party president JP Nadda for his use of unparliamentary language against BSP MP Danish Ali, sources said.
Earlier on Friday, leaders of Congress, NCP, TMC and DMK wrote to Om Birla to act against the BJP leader and demanded that the matter should be sent to the Parliamentary Privileges Committee.
On Saturday, Congress leader Salman Khurshid said that the BJP suspends others in no time but in this matter, they are taking time.
“BJP in order to dismiss this matter will show that they are taking action on it but this isn’t the question. The question is, what makes BJP leaders talk in this manner again and again? This issue came to light as it was said in the Parliament… They speak similar things in front of the media…They suspend others in no time and in this matter, they are taking time,” Salman Khurshid said.
Member of Parliament and DMK leader, Dr Thamizhachi Thangapandian said that the remarks of the BJP MP need to be condemned vehemently.
“It is to be condemned vehemently. Madam Kanimozhi registered her protest when the incident took place. Spreading hatred in the name of a community needs to be condemned. Rajnath Singh had apologised on his behalf when had protested on this. Some of us have written to the Speaker, and hope he takes action,” Thamizhachi Thangapandian said.
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav said that the BJP has ‘crossed’ all the limits.
“They have crossed all the limits. The words they are using in Parliament are similar to the language of street goons, and even then, there is no action to be taken against them. This is a dictatorship because if you are in the BJP, then you are good. BJP people work to promote such people.”
Reacting to the same, Congress leader Nana Patole hit out at the BJP, saying that the ruling party is ‘drunk’ with power.
“The BJP has gone drunk in power. The proof of this is that a BJP leader has verbally abused a member of the Opposition and this is a first in this country. This should change. India’s democracy has always been strong. Such persons and their dictatorial spirit would be cast off at the drop of a hat. Such kind of behaviour is harmful to democracy,” the Congress leader said. (ANI)
