Vested Interest Have Dragged My Name: Harsh Vardhan On Laughing Over BJP's Anti-Muslim Rant

After coming under attack from netizens for laughing over an anti-Muslim rant by South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri in the Parliament, BJP MP Harsh Vardhan has now issued a clarification stating "vested interest have dragged his name."

He claimed that he could not hear what Ramesh Bidhuri said as there was chaos in the Parliament. Ramesh Bidhuri, a BJP MP from South Delhi, referred to Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) lawmaker Danish Ali as a "terrorist" during a session in the Lok Sabha.

On X (formerly Twitter), he wrote, "I have seen my name trending on Twitter where people have dragged me into this unfortunate incident where two MPs were using unparliamentary language against each other on the floor of the House. Our senior and respected leader Shri @rajnathsingh ji has already condemned the usage of such unpardonable language by both sides. I ask my Muslim friends who are writing against me on social media today, whether they actually believe that I could ever have become party to usage of such derogatory language that would hurt the sensibilities of any one community?

He claimed that it is a "notorious and fabricated story filled with negativity and is being used by some vested political elements on social media to tarnish my image." The BJP leader stated that in his thirty years of public life, he has worked closely with lakhs of "Muslim brothers and sisters" in his constituency as well as with colleagues from various walks of life.

"Born and brought up in Phatak Teliyan in the historic gullys of Chandni Chowk, I have spent my childhood and grown up playing with my Muslim friends. I can state with utmost confidence and conviction that all Muslim brothers and sisters who have ever been in contact with me will vouch for my sentiments and behavior.I was overjoyed to have won as a Member of Parliament from the prestigious constituency of Chandni Chowk and this could never have happened if all communities had not supported me," he added.

Bidhuri made the comment during a discussion on the success of Chandrayaan-3 in the Lower House of Parliament. "Yeh ugrawaaadi (militant), Yeh aatankwaadi hai, ugrawaadi hai, Yeh aantankwaadi (terrorist) hai," Bidhuri can be heard saying during proceedings.

"I feel sad and humiliated that some people with vested interest have dragged my name into this. While I was no doubt witness to the jugglery of words being thrown at each other (which in fact the entire House was), the truth of the matter is that in the chaos that existed, I could not clearly hear what was being said. I have always stood by my own principles in life. And I have never been apologetic about following them, keeping the interest of my country and its people above everything else," Dr Harsh Vardhan added.

According to reports, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla voiced his disapproval of the derogatory remarks made by Bidhuri against BSP member Danish Ali, which were directed at Muslims. According to India Today report, the Speaker reprimanded Bidhuri for his remarks and advised him to uphold the decorum of his language.