Less than four weeks before the Delhi Assembly elections, former South Delhi MP and BJP candidate from the Kalkaji segment Ramesh Bidhuri has made two highly controversial remarks—first against Priyanka Gandhi and then Delhi CM Atishi.
This is not the first time the Gujjar strongman has indulged in making proactive statements. Bidhuri was pulled up in 2023 for using communal slurs against Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP Danish Ali—who is now with the Congress—on the floor of the Lok Sabha. That incident probably cost him a ticket in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Delhi has remained elusive for the BJP for over two decades now. And in a state where women’s votes can make or break the game for the party, Bidhuri’s remarks could well damage its prospects. And that is why Ramesh Bidhuri is ThePrint’s Newsmaker of the Week.
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Attacks on Priyanka, Atishi
The Bharatiya Janata Party on 4 January named Ramesh Bidhuri as a candidate in the Delhi Assembly elections.
Soon after he got the green signal to contest the elections from the Kalkaji assembly segment against CM Atishi and Congress’ Alka Lamba, Bidhuri courted controversy with his sexist remark directed at Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Priyanka Gandhi.
The BJP leader said that he would make the roads in his assembly seat area as smooth as Priyanka Gandhi’s cheeks. Even as he initially refused to apologise for his comments, he later expressed regret.
Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on Wednesday, termed Bidhuri’s remark about her as “ridiculous”.
She also called it “unnecessary” and said the focus should be on important issues related to Delhi. “He never spoke about his cheeks. All this is unnecessary. During the elections, we should talk about the important issues of the people of Delhi,” she told reporters.
The Delhi Pradesh Youth Congress workers protested against Bidhuri’s comments on 6 January by spraying the words ‘Mahila Virodi‘, enemy of women, outside his residence.
However, soon after this, he made another sexist remark about Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Sunday. That too in the presence of PM Modi during a rally in Delhi on Saturday.
Speaking at the rally, Bidhuri said, “Kejriwal had claimed he wouldn’t form an alliance with the corrupt Congress. Atishi has changed her father—earlier she was Marlena, now she’s Singh (pehle Marlena thi, ab Singh ho gayi, Atishi ne to baap badal liya). This is their character.” Bidhuri was referring to Atishi changing her surname.
The comment by Bidhuri on the Aam Aadmi Party leader went viral on social media.
In an X post, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal wrote, “BJP leaders have crossed all limits of shamelessness. BJP leaders are abusing Delhi Chief Minister Atishi ji. The people of Delhi will not tolerate the insult of a woman chief minister. All the women of Delhi will take revenge for this.”
Both the Congress and AAP leaders, including Alka Lamba and Sanjay Singh, criticised Bidhuri and the BJP for their “anti-women” and “sexist” comments.
This time round, Bidhuri did not apologise. However, speaking to a news channel he said, “I agree that leaders should pay attention to their words but the rhetoric has always been there”.
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How the BJP sees it
Even as Bidhuri’s comments created a disquiet within the party and he was reprimanded by the central leadership, the party did not issue an official statement on the matter.
A section within the BJP is keen for the party to take action and cancel his candidature as women voters may feel ‘alienated’ by the party if no action is taken. But others say he has already apologised for his comments and “a lot of unwarranted comments are made during elections anyway”.
“Look at how Kejriwal has insulted the entire Purvanchali community by calling them fake voters. Should his candidature be cancelled? During elections such controversies keep happening,” said a Delhi BJP functionary.
According to sources in the BJP, the party has asked Bidhuri to concentrate on raising issues related to the people and to avoid making any controversial comments which can derail its campaign ahead of the crucial Delhi Assembly elections. Especially as the party hopes to garner ‘greater support of women voters’.
Both the Congress and AAP have criticised Bidhuri and the BJP for their “anti-women” and “sexist” comments.
“Bidhuri is a popular Gujjar face and has always been in touch with the public. He should not have made the comment and has apologised and even pointed out that such a comment was made by Lalu Yadav. People of the area know his work and they will not judge him because of this comment alone,” said one leader from the party.
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A comeback election
Bidhuri hails from an influential family with roots in Tughlakabad and began his political journey as a student leader. His association with the RSS’ student wing ABVP began in 1983, when he was pursuing a BCom degree at Delhi University’s Shaheed Bhagat Singh College. He fought the Delhi Assembly election from Tughlakabad on a BJP ticket in 1993 and 1998, but lost both times. In 2003, he registered a win for the first time, from the same seat. He went on to win in 2008 and 2013 too.
In 2014, he got a Lok Sabha ticket from South Delhi constituency and defeated AAP’s Devinder Sehrawat. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he defeated AAP’s Raghav Chadha, who is now a Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab.
It’s a comeback election of sorts for Bidhuri, and by making a few provocative statements, he has hogged headlines. It could well be a desperate attempt to gain traction in a turf that has been dry land for his party in an era when it has dominated elections nationally.
Views are personal.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)