With the Bharatiya Janata Party giving poll responsibility to its Lok Sabha MP Ramesh Bidhuri in Rajasthan's Tonk amid a row over his derogatory remarks, Bahujan Samaj Party lawmaker Danish Ali on Thursday said this was akin to "rewarding" spread of hatred and that the ruling party's true character had been "exposed" by the move.
Ali also said he was hopeful that action would be taken by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla against Bidhuri in line with the traditions of the Lower House and the Constitution.
Bidhuri's remarks targeting Ali during a discussion on the success of the Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission last Thursday had sparked a furore, with opposition leaders calling for stringent action against the BJP MP.
The BSP MP's comments on Thursday come after the BJP tasked Bidhuri with poll responsibility in Tonk district of Rajasthan.
"The BJP should have maintained some decorum. The people of the country have expectations of some ethics from the party which calls itself the world's largest party. You issued a show-cause notice to him (Bidhuri), either make his reply public or say that we legitimise and reward hate," Ali told PTI.
"The hatred that was being spread by your people on the road, he (Bidhuri) did that in the temple of democracy. You are rewarding that spread of hatred. The 'chaal charitra aur chehra (the real intentions, character and face)' of the BJP have been exposed," he said.
The MP from Amroha said it is the BJP's misunderstanding that they will consolidate the vote of the majority by promoting such people.
"My understanding is that besides the hate-mongers, the common persons of the country will never accept this kind of language. And you wait and watch they (the BJP) will have to pay the price (for such behaviour), otherwise the world will believe that our society has rotted, if such people are rewarded by the public," Ali said.
"The people of Gurjar community have come and met me, they are embarrassed by such remarks, Hindus have come and expressed solidarity with me. So it can be the BJP's thinking that they will get some benefit out of such actions (giving responsibility to Bidhuri in Tonk) but the common people are hurt by this," he said.
Asked about his letter to Speaker Birla demanding that the matter be sent to the privileges committee for inquiry and no action being taken till now, Ali said he is awaiting action by the Speaker.
It has been seen in the past in the Lok Sabha that when such incidents have taken place, even incidents of smaller magnitude than this, there has been action, he said.
"We also saw how then Speaker Somnath Chatterjee had expelled 10 lawmakers, taking cognizance of the cash for question incident. So this has also been the tradition of the House.
"Do you want to pay tribute to those traditions, the Constitution of Babasaheb Ambedkar or you want to provide platform for making hate speech, the world is watching and people will respond at the right time," he said.
Ali stressed he is hopeful that the Lok Sabha Speaker will "definitely" take action in the matter.
Opposition leaders have slammed the BJP over Bidhuri being given poll responsibility by the party in Rajasthan's Tonk district.
The BJP MP from South Delhi had been issued a show-cause notice by the party after his derogatory words targeting Ali in the Lok Sabha last week sparked massive outrage with the opposition demanding his suspension from the House.
Opposition parties have rallied around Ali and targeted the BJP on its MP's remarks. Several members of the Congress, TMC and NCP among others have written to Speaker Birla seeking the strictest action against Bidhuri.
