Ramesh Bidhuri, the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate in the Kalkaji constituency, had a provocative remark to make on Sunday-the smoothness of roads in his district was just like the cheeks of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s cheeks, after victory in elections.
Addressing an election meeting in the capital, Bidhuri said, “During his chief ministership of Bihar, Lalu Yadav had said the roads in that state would be made so smooth that they would resemble the cheeks of actress Hema Malini. While he did not do it, I promise you that like we tarred the roads of Okhla and Sangam Vihar, all the roads in Kalkaji would be as smooth as Priyanka Gandhi’s cheeks.”
The comment immediately invited sharp criticism from Congress leaders, who accused the BJP of propagating an “anti-woman mindset.” Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate termed Bidhuri’s remarks “shameful” and manifestations of a “disgusting mentality” towards women. She asked the BJP to apologize to Priyanka Gandhi: “What else can be expected from someone who has verbally abused fellow MPs in Parliament without facing consequences?”
Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera echoed this, saying that Bidhuri’s remarks reflect the character of the RSS, the ideological fountainhead of the BJP. “This impoliteness is not a reflection of Bidhuri’s character but also reflects the thinking of his leaders. The imprint of the RSS is visible in the way these small-time BJP leaders function,” Khera said.
Amid the furore, Bidhuri explained that Congress had no right to criticize him after their history. “If Congress is hurt by my statement, why didn’t they apologize to Hema Malini? She is an artist of eminence, brought name and fame to India, stands way taller than Priyanka Gandhi in achievement.
The Aam Aadmi Party, an ally of Congress in the INDIA bloc, also condemned the remarks by Bidhuri. AAP MP Sanjay Singh termed the remarks as “cheap and shameless” and questioned the respect which the BJP has toward women. “It is very shameful that the BJP has nominated someone who used abusive language in Parliament and openly distributed money to people,” Singh said. He further said that making such remarks about a senior Congress leader is unfortunate and reflects badly on the security women get in Delhi during BJP rule.
The present case is not the first time that Bidhuri has been under attack for some unprincipled remarks. In 2023 he had stirred a controversy in the Lok Sabha with communal comments against then-BSP MP Danish Ali, which was widely condemned as unbecoming of a parliamentarian. Though he expressed regret over those comments later, issues relating to his conduct are not allowed to die down.
