In the midst of massive outrage over the anti-parliamentary statements of BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri from South Delhi against BSP MP Dane Ali in the Lok Sabha, the name of another BJP MP from Delhi, Harsh Vardhan, suddenly began circulating on the microblog platform X (formerly Twitter) on Friday. Harsh Vardhan, a former trade union minister in Narendra Modi’s government, is said to have witnessed the verbal altercation between Bidhuri and Ali, but said he could barely hear anything.
Although I undoubtedly witnessed the juggling of words thrown against each other (which actually happened to the entire chamber), the truth is that in the chaos that prevailed, I could not clearly hear what was being said, the former Union minister said. Vardhan said this after a video showing him and another member of the party, Ravi Shankar Prasad, laughing during Bidhuri’s controversial speech went viral on social media.
Regarding X, Vardhan said: It is a notorious and made-up story full of negativity, which is used by some political elements who have invested in social media to tarnish my image. In thirty years of public life, I have worked closely with thousands of Muslim brothers and sisters in my constituency, as well as with colleagues from different walks of life.
I have seen my name trending on Twitter where people have dragged me into this unfortunate incident where two MPs were using unparliamentary language against each other on the floor of the House.
Our senior and respected leader Shri @rajnathsingh ji has already condemned the…
— Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) September 22, 2023
Vardhan added that he was saddened and humiliated that his name was being dragged into a controversy over the use of unforgivable language in parliament. The former Union health minister called it a notorious and fabricated story full of negativity, which was used by some political elements to tarnish his image.
BJP issues show cause warning for Bidhuri
Meanwhile, the BJP has issued a complaint to its Lok Sabha member Ramesh Bidhuri for questionable words against Bahujan Samaj Party MP Danish Ali in parliament during a discussion about the success of the Chandrayaan mission. BJP sources said the party had requested a response from the MP in south Delhi on the use of non-parliamentary words.
Bidhuri used derogatory words against Ali when he spoke in Lok Sabha on Thursday. The mayor, Om Birla, later deleted these words. Union Minister Rajnath Singh regretted Bidhuri’s remarks.
The video of Bidhuri’s controversial references to the Muslim MP went viral, and opposition parties demanded strict measures against him, including suspension from the chamber. Mayor Birla admonished him and warned against strict measures should such an offense be repeated.
Read Also: List: 10 Global Decor Trends Are Emerging In Indian Design