NEW DELHI: BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri hurled abuses at BSP MP Danish Ali on the floor of the new parliament building, calling him “mullah, aatankwadi, ugravadi, katwa, and bhadwa,” targeting his faith and patriotism.
Days after the unfortunate incident, Ali spoke with The New Indian Executive Editor Rohan Dua in an exclusive interview. He talks about Rahul Gandhi, BSP’s future plan to join the INDI alliance, and his “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” controversy. Edited excerpts from the interview:
Rohan Dua: BSP supremo Mayawati ji has launched criticism on this particular MP but her equation with the BJP is not clear. She is not part of the INDI alliance. Rahul Gandhi came and met you. How do you look forward to this equation?
Danish Ali: Every political leader has its own style of functioning so Rahul Ji was in Delhi and said what has happened must be condemned. Action must be taken against a person who has done this. Rahul Ji is a sensitive man and he came here for solidarity, like leaders from other political parties.
RD: Sanjay Singh of AAP also came.
DA: Sensitivity is not in RSS and BJP. Only hate is taught there, which could be seen that day. There is a difference between them and Rahul Ji. BJP doesn’t want these feelings of solidarity to be there. Why had Rahul Gandhi come (to my residence)? Why did Sanjajy Singh come? Because that is in their character! BJP’s character is to welcome those accused of lynching who come out of jail with garlands.
RD: When I saw you getting elected from the JDS and then from the BSP. We saw you raising a lot of issues inside the Parliament. I remember during Covid, you took up the cause of many people who had gone missing from Kargil and that was the issue that brought you to the limelight as well.
But what bothers me today is that, for example, when you bring up your own confrontation recently about a couple of months ago in Amroha over ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’. Do you think that the confrontation should have happened or avoided considering that you wear your patriotism on your sleeves? Do you still object to Bharat Mata Ki Jai?
DA: I think it is the same kind of false narrative which is being created. You see what I have spoken at the same function. While concluding my speeches; and it is from my childhood, I say ‘Jai Hind, Jai Bheem, Jai Bharat’. What happened (in this case) is this. In a government function, BJP workers were chanting party slogans – ‘Modi Zindabad, Yogi Zindabad, BJP Zindabad’. To which, I objected and then they created the false narratives which stand exposed.
Bharat Mata is not their patent. Those people are giving certificates of patriotism whose forefathers weren’t in the freedom struggle. Mine were. RSS did not hoist the national flag in their headquarters for 52 years. This narrative will not work.
RD: Some people have taken to the social media with criticism that Danish Ali has spent a lot of time in Jamia Millia Islamia and AMU, where Jinnah’s portrait is decorated on walls. That Danish Ali follows Jinnah politics and not Gandhi’s politics.
DA: Those people must know that Danish Ali has not spent even one day in AMU.
RD: Since we have come to know that this Special Session was held only for Women’s Reservation Bill, Maywati has come forward to say that there is no need for any political party or for Parliament to introduce any sub quota for Dalits or OBC to stall this bill. She has welcomed this bill. Do you also come out to support this bill?
DA: Who has opposed it? We have supported it. Our demand was that OBC sub quota should be there.
RD: But she says that the bill can be implemented without the quota as well.
DA: That’s why every party has supported it.
RD: Now that your incident has happened and it has brought so much scrutiny on the BJP. Do you think that Mayawati and BSP should align with the INDI alliance?
DA: In BSP, only Mayawati Ji is the leader and she will decide it.
