‘Ramesh Bidhuri seeking votes by abusing my elderly father’: Delhi CM Atishi breaks down after BJP leader’s remarks

Bidhuri, who is contesting against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Atishi and Congress’s Alka Lamba from Kalkaji in the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, spoke before Prime Minister Narendra Modi started his address and tore into the AAP government for neglecting development.

Asked about Bidhuri’s comments, Atishi said, “My father is a teacher. He has taught several children from economically weaker sections. He is 80 years old; he is so unwell that he can’t walk without support. Is this the level that you will stoop to to win an election? Will you start abusing an elderly man? I could never have imagined that this country’s political discourse would stoop to such a low level.”

Calling the attack “saddening”, she said, “Ramesh Bidhuri ji has been an MP from Delhi for 10 years. He should tell the people of Delhi what he did for the people of the constituency. He should show that his work in ten years is better than mine in the past five years. He should seek votes on the basis of the work he has done. Instead, he is seeking votes by abusing my elderly father.”

This was the second time Bidhuri’s statements came under fire after he was named BJP’s candidate from Kalkaji. On Saturday, during a public address in Kalkaji, he made a comment on Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, eliciting sharp reactions from several quarters.

“Lalu (Prasad Yadav) ne kaha tha Bihar main ki Bihar ki sadkon ko main Hema Malini ji ke gaalon jaisi bana dunga. Lalu ne jhoot bola tha. Nahi bana paaya. Lekin main aapko vishwas dilata hoon, kaise Okhla ki sadkein humne bana di hain, Sangam Vihar ki bana di hain, isi tarah, Kalkaji… ki saari ki saari sadkein, Priyanka Gandhi ke gaal jaisi zaroor bana denge. (Lalu said in Bihar, he would make roads as smooth as Hema Malini’s cheeks. Lalu lied; he couldn’t do it. But I assure you, just like we improved roads in Okhla and Sangam Vihar, we will definitely make all roads in Kalkaji as smooth as Priyanka Gandhi’s cheeks),” he had said.

While he initially defended his comments, asking the Congress to seek an apology from Lalu Prasad Yadav, he later expressed “regret”.

Tagging BJP national president J P Nadda, BJP in-charge for Delhi Baijayant Panda and Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva, he posted, “Some people are making statements on social media for political gain with a wrong perception based on a statement given by me in some context. My intention was not to insult anyone. But still, if anyone has been hurt, then I express my regret.”