New Delhi: Soon after being announced as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) candidate from Kalkaji for the upcoming Delhi assembly elections, Ramesh Bidhuri has landed himself in multiple controversies.
The former BJP MP earlier sparked outrage with a sexist remark directed at Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Priyanka Gandhi, and now has directed one at Delhi Chief Minister Atishi.
On Sunday, the comment by Bidhuri on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader went viral on social media. Speaking at a BJP rally in Delhi, 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.”
The remark sparked widespread criticism.
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In its response to Bidhuri’s comments, the AAP said in a statement: “Ramesh Bidhuri’s abusive remarks against a sitting female Chief Minister expose the BJP’s anti-women mindset. If he behaves this way now, imagine the treatment ordinary women would face if he mistakenly becomes an MLA? Arvind Kejriwal, as a son and brother to Delhi’s women, has ensured free bus rides, CCTV cameras, and bus marshals for their safety. His promise of a Rs 2,100 monthly allowance for mothers and sisters has rattled the BJP, which is now openly hurling abuses at women of Delhi. Delhi’s people will teach the BJP and Ramesh Bidhuri a lesson by defeating him at the hands of a woman Chief Minister in Kalkaji.”
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.”
ThePrint reached Bidhuri for a comment via calls and messages. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
Earlier, while making promises for Kalkaji constituency, Bidhuri had allegedly said that if the BJP came to power, he would make the roads in Kalkaji “as smooth as Priyanka Gandhi’s cheeks”.
“I assure you, just as we made the roads in Okhla and Sangam Vihar, we will make all the roads in Kalkaji like Priyanka Gandhi’s cheeks,” Bidhuri was purportedly heard saying in a video, which went viral on social media.
Both the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) criticised Bidhuri and the BJP for their “anti-women” and “sexist” comments. Congress leader Alka Lamba, CM Atishi, and AAP MP Sanjay Singh, among others, criticised Bidhuri.
Bidhuri initially clarified that his comments were made in response to remarks by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Yadav. He also pointed out that the Congress party had remained silent when similar statements were made during Yadav’s tenure as a minister.
However, following the political uproar, Bidhuri issued an apology on social media, expressing his “regret” over the comment.
“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,” he wrote in a post on X Sunday.
