Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Monday broke down while addressing a press conference over Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ramesh Bidhuri's remarks against her. Responding to Bidhuri's comments, Atishi questioned the downgrading of politics. Bidhuri, BJP's candidate from Kalkaji who will be contesting against Atishi triggered controversy for his remarks on the AAP leader's surname.
"How can our politics downgrade so much? He should show what work he has done for Kalkaji when he was MP for 10 years. He should ask for votes based on his work, not by abusing my father," she said.
Speaking at BJP's 'Parivartan Rally' in Rohini, Bidhuri said Atishi changed her surname from "Marlena" to "Singh". Atishi, who is the sitting MLA from the Kalkaji Assembly seat, dropped her surname a while back.
"I want to tell Ramesh Bidhuri, my father was a teacher throughout his life, he has taught thousands of children coming from poor and lower-middle-class families, now he is 80 years old, now he is really ill that he can't even walk without help. Will you (Ramesh Bidhuri) do such a dirty thing for the sake of election? He has come down to the situation where he is abusing an old man. I never thought that this country's politics could stoop so low."
Arvind Kejriwal's reaction on Bidhuri's comment:
As the video of Bidhuri's speech showed up on the internet, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal lashed at the BJP saying its leaders crossed all the limits of "shamelessness". "BJP leaders are hurling abuses at Delhi chief minister Atishi.
Delhi people will not tolerate the insult of a woman chief minister. All the women in Delhi will take a revenge of this," he said in a post on X.
The AAP in a statement said Bidhuri's "abusive remarks" against a female chief minister exposed 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," said the ruling party in Delhi.
(With PTI inputs)
