'Rewarded Instead Of Expulsion': BJP Slammed For Appointing Ramesh Bidhuri Election In-Charge In Rajasthan's Tonk

Bidhuri's appointment follows a recent controversy in which he made anti-Muslim remarks during a parliamentary session against Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP Danish Ali.

File Photo: BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri speaks in the Lok Sabha during a special session of Parliament

Source : PTI Images

Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Thursday (September 28) expressed his disapproval of Ramesh Bidhuri's new role, stating, "(Ramesh) Bidhuri should have been expelled, but instead, he has been rewarded. Despite the fact that Defence minister Rajnath Singh said he should not have stated these words, he has been rewarded by the government and BJP by making him in-charge of Tonk," as seen in a video posted by news agency PTI on Thursday.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appointed Ramesh Bidhuri, the party's Member of Parliament, as the election in-charge for the Tonk constituency in Rajasthan, drawing sharp criticism from opposition leaders. Bidhuri's appointment follows a recent controversy in which he made anti-Muslim remarks during a parliamentary session against Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP Danish Ali.

VIDEO | "(Ramesh) Bidhuri should have been expelled, but instead, he has been rewarded. Despite the fact that Defence minister (Rajnath Singh) said he should not have stated these words, he has been rewarded by the government and BJP by making him in-charge of Tonk," says Rajya… pic.twitter.com/pwJ9PCJmaF

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 28, 2023

In a similar video released by PTI, Danish Ali, the BSP MP who was the target of Bidhuri's remarks, commented on the development, saying, "This has exposed BJP's face and character. If they think that they can consolidate the majority vote by promoting such people, then they are mistaken". 

VIDEO | "This has exposed BJP's face and character. If they think that they can consolidate majority vote by promoting such people, then they are mistaken," says BSP MP @KDanishAli on BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri being given poll responsibility by the party in Rajasthan's Tonk district. pic.twitter.com/5jTHX9VWXJ

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 28, 2023

The decision to appoint Bidhuri as the election in-charge for Tonk has fueled speculation about Congress leader Sachin Pilot's potential candidacy from the same constituency in the upcoming assembly elections. Tonk has long been considered a stronghold for Pilot.

The Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election is slated to take place on or before November of this year.

The controversy surrounding Bidhuri erupted after he made objectionable anti-Muslim remarks against Danish Ali in the Lok Sabha during a discussion on the Chandrayaan-3 mission. Following widespread outrage, his comments were expunged from the parliamentary records.

The opposition Congress party had called on Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to take action against Bidhuri, and at least four opposition parties urged the Speaker to refer the matter to the Privileges Committee. Additionally, Kodikunnil Suresh MP, who presided over the session when Bidhuri made the offensive comments, wrote to the Speaker, demanding Bidhuri's immediate suspension.

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, in a letter to the Speaker, decried the remarks, stating, "Never in the history of Parliament have such words been used against a member of a minority community".