The war of words between BSP MP Danish Ali and BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri, who was served a notice by his own party for his “unparliamentary remarks” targeting Ali, saw a new twist when Jharkhand BJP MP Nishikant Dubey came out to attack Danish Ali and said that it was Ali who had provoked Bidhuri.
Dubey alleged that Ali had used derogatory words against the Prime Minister in Parliament and that the words used by Ali are not acceptable. “I was present in the Parliament when all this took place. BSP MP Danish Ali kept calling PM Modi ‘neech’. I have written a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, requesting him to constitute an Inquiry Committee to investigate Danish Ali’s remark and the utterances made by various members during the discussion that day, including the speeches of Saugata Roy and others…We need to understand that people like Danish Ali and some leaders of Congress, DMK, and TMC are habitual offenders and they make derogatory comments to provoke BJP MPs,” Dubey said.
Dubey has written a letter to Speaker Om Birla on the issue, complaining against Ali; many more BJP MPs have also written to the Speaker and have requested the chair to intervene in the matter. On his part, Ali on Sunday alleged that after his “verbal lynching” in Lok Sabha, a narrative was being set for “lynching” him outside the House, as he hit back at Dubey for accusing him of making “unsavoury” remarks to instigate ruling party MP Ramesh Bidhuri.
Ali tweeted to say that BJP MP Dubey’s allegations are an attempt by the BJP to twist the matter. In a post on X, Ali said, “As the principle of ‘Res ipsa loquitur’ says ‘the thing speaks for itself’, the claims of Sh @nishikant_dubey have no basis. What has happened is a blot and absolutely undeniable. Fictionalising the events and playing with the facts will not work this time.”
However, BJP MPs have come out in full support of BJP MP Bidhuri and have alleged that Danish Ali had “provoked” and used “unparliamentary language” against the Prime Minister.
On the other hand, the Opposition bloc has come out in support of Ali and has demanded strict action against Ramesh Bidhuri. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had met Danish Ali after the controversy and the Congress has written to Speaker Om Birla, demanding that action be taken against Bidhuri.
Initially, Speaker Birla was unhappy about what happened in the House during a discussion on the country’s successful lunar landing mission—Chandrayaan-3—and this newspaper has gathered that he was firm on taking action to set an example so that the same is not repeated in the future, but now it has turned into a complex situation as BJP MPs have written to inquire into the conduct of Danish Ali over his alleged remarks in the House.
Experts suggest that Bidhuri’s remarks are a set case for the Privilege Committee and that may result in Bidhuri’s suspension from the House, but the entry of Nishikant Dubey and BJP MPs like Ravi Kishan in the whole episode has given a new twist to the issue, and it’s up to the chair to decide, while going soft on the matter, whether the same can be given to the Ethics Committee of the House. The Speaker’s office has been directed to collect the facts and inquire into the matter.