The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Saturday, 9 December suspended its Lok Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) Danish Ali for indulging in "anti-party" activities.
In a statement, the BSP said, "You were warned may times against statements or actions against the policies, ideology and discipline of the party. But, despite that you have continuously been acting against the party."
"It is also mandatory to make it clear to you… you were working in the Janata Party under Deve Gowda in Karnataka in 2018… at that time the BSP and Deve Gowda's Janata Party were contesting the polls together and you were given a ticket from Amroha under the conditions that you would work for the party," the party said.
Soon after he was suspended, Ali refuted the party's claim that he had indulged in anti-party activities.
Addressing a press conference, Danish Ali said, "In Lok Sabha, I tried to become the voice of the oppressed, marginalised, farmers of the country. If that is against the party's interests, then I don't know about it."
"I have diligently tried to strengthen BSP and have never done any kind of anti-party work. The people of my Amroha area are witness to this. I have definitely opposed the anti-people policies of the @BJP4India government and will continue to do so," Ali posted on social media platform 'X' (Formerly called Twitter).
Expressing his gratitude towards BSP president Mayawati, the Lok Sabha MP said, "I will always be grateful to sister Mayawati ji that she helped me become a member of the Lok Sabha by giving me a BSP ticket. She also made me the leader of BSP parliamentary party. I always received his immense love and support. The decision today is unfortunate."
Ali said that he will continue to raise his voice against "looting."
"If doing this is a crime, then I have committed this crime, and I am ready to face the punishment for it. I want to assure the people of Amroha that I will always be at your service," Ali tweeted.
Three months ago, Ramesh Bidhuri, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from South Delhi hurled several Islamophobic profanities at Ali in the Lok Sabha during the Special Session of Parliament.
The exchange took place while Bidhuri was addressing the House on the success of ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 mission.
"Mulla" (Slur, for Muslims), "Bhadwa" (Pimp), "Katwa" (Circumcised), "Aatankwadi" (Terrorist) – these were the words used by Bidhuri to insult Ali, during the debate in the Lok Sabha.
In an interview to The Quint, Ali said that he couldn’t sleep the whole night and broke into tears after Bidhuri used communal slurs against him.
"Our forefathers could never have foreseen this. Anyone who upholds democratic principles would feel deeply saddened by this incident," Ali had then said.
On Thursday, 7 December, Bidhuri expressed regret for his objectionable remarks in a meeting of the Lok Sabha Privileges Committee, which heard both leaders separately, news agency PTI reported.
Ali was an alumni of the Jamia Milia Islamia in New Delhi and has been active in politics since student days, The Indian Express reported.
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