NEW DELHI: Days before BSP MP Kunwar Danish Ali is set to appear before the parliamentary privilege committee, he has written to Lok Sabha Speaker About Birla objecting to the committee’s decision to club his complaint against BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri for making communal slurs against him, with that of Bidhuri’s counter complaint by BJP MP’s containing “concocted, baseless and diversionary allegations.”
The Lok Sabha Committee of Privileges directed Ali to appear before it on December 7, asking him to give oral evidence regarding complaints made against him by Bidhuri.
In his letter to the Birla, Ali said he was shocked that the House panel clubbed his complaint with Bidhuri’s, even though Ali’s complaint against Bidhuri was lodged on September 22, 2023 and referred to racial and communal slurs against Ali on the floor of the House. Though Bidhuri’s remarks were later expunged from Parliament’s records, Ali said he lodged the complaint hoping for “swift, strict and exemplary action” to prevent the repeat of “ugly language” by any member in Parliament.
“What I see instead is a sad attempt to create a diversion by turning the victim to an accused. The notice I have received from the Committee of Privileges talks about getting oral evidence against me. This is outrageous. It would be a travesty of justice if the Committee of Privileges fails to act against Shri Bidhuri by taking refuge in the fabricated, malicious and clearly afterthought complaints against me. Shri Bidhuri had launched a one-sided and totally unprovoked abusive and unparliamentary attack on me. This was witnessed by the whole country as the proceedings were telecast live on television,” Ali said.
The BSP MP also requested the Speaker to obtain video footage of the Lok Sabha proceedings for the said day and to have it circulated, along with the transcript of proceedings, to members of the privileges committee.
“This would expose the lies being propagated and help clarify matters by identifying the real culprit,” he said, adding that since the matter concerns protecting the dignity of the House, the committee must strictly follow records of the House and “take a swift decision based on facts”.
The Lok Sabha Committee of Privileges directed Ali to appear before it on December 7, asking him to give oral evidence regarding complaints made against him by Bidhuri.
In his letter to the Birla, Ali said he was shocked that the House panel clubbed his complaint with Bidhuri’s, even though Ali’s complaint against Bidhuri was lodged on September 22, 2023 and referred to racial and communal slurs against Ali on the floor of the House. Though Bidhuri’s remarks were later expunged from Parliament’s records, Ali said he lodged the complaint hoping for “swift, strict and exemplary action” to prevent the repeat of “ugly language” by any member in Parliament.
“What I see instead is a sad attempt to create a diversion by turning the victim to an accused. The notice I have received from the Committee of Privileges talks about getting oral evidence against me. This is outrageous. It would be a travesty of justice if the Committee of Privileges fails to act against Shri Bidhuri by taking refuge in the fabricated, malicious and clearly afterthought complaints against me. Shri Bidhuri had launched a one-sided and totally unprovoked abusive and unparliamentary attack on me. This was witnessed by the whole country as the proceedings were telecast live on television,” Ali said.
The BSP MP also requested the Speaker to obtain video footage of the Lok Sabha proceedings for the said day and to have it circulated, along with the transcript of proceedings, to members of the privileges committee.
“This would expose the lies being propagated and help clarify matters by identifying the real culprit,” he said, adding that since the matter concerns protecting the dignity of the House, the committee must strictly follow records of the House and “take a swift decision based on facts”.