Ramesh Bidhuri is an Indian politician and member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He was elected as MP from South Delhi in 2014 and 2019. Previously, he was thrice elected as MLA from Tughlakabad Assembly.
Wiki/Biography
Ramesh Bidhuri was born on Tuesday, 18 July 1961 (age 62 years; as of 2023) in South Delhi, India. His zodiac sign is Cancer. His family has maintained a longstanding connection with the Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing Hindu nationalist organisation. Hence, Bidhuri too was an active RSS member since childhood. He developed an interest in politics during his formative years. He participated in debating competitions during his school and college days. In 1983, he became a member of the right-wing student organisation Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). He pursued a Bachelor of Commerce at Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, affiliated with Delhi University (1988). As a student, he was elected as the central councillor of the Shaheed Bhagat Singh College. He also became a member of the executive council of Delhi University. In 2009, he earned an LLB degree from Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut and enrolled as an advocate in the Delhi High Court.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 10″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Balck
Ramesh Bidhuri with PM Narendra Modi
Family & Caste
He belongs to a Gujjar family.
Parents & Siblings
His father, Ramrikh, was a social worker. His mother’s name is Charto Devi. He has three older brothers and one younger brother. His younger brother Virendra Singh Bidhuri has served as a Janta Dal United national Secretary. He was sentenced to a one-year jail term in a theft case by a Delhi court in 2014.
Wife & Children
On 2 March 1987, he got married to Kamla Bidhuri. Together, they have 3 children, 2 sons, Himanshu and Prashant and a daughter, Ankita.
Ramesh Bidhuri and his wife on his their son Himanshu’s wedding
Ramesh Bidhuri with his sons, Himanshu and Prashant, and PM Narendra Modi
Ramesh Bidhuri with his daughter, Ankita, and son-in-law
Others
A philanthropist, his grandfather donated a large portion of his ancestral property for the construction of an Arya Samaj Mandir, a school, and a hospital in Tughlakabad village. His nephew Vikram Bidhuri is a Spokesperson of BJP Delhi. His relative Vivek Bidhuri (deceased) served as Secretary of Delhi BJP.
Religion
He follows Hinduism.
Address
His permanent address is House No. 179, Sunpat House, Village-Tughlakabad, New Delhi – 110044.
Signature/Autograph
Ramesh Bidhuri’s signature
Career
He started his political journey as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In 1993, he contested the Tughlakabad Assembly seat, but he turned up as the second runner-up in the elections after winning candidate Shish Pal (Independent) and runner-up Shyama Sinha (INC). He served as the District General Secretary of Mehrauli district in 1996. He also served as the Pardesh Secretary of Dharm Yatra of Mahasangh. From 1997 to 2003, he was the District President BJP of Mehrauli. In 1998, he again contested the Tughlakabad Assembly seat and lost to INC candidate Shish Pal Singh. He served as an officer on Special Duty to the Chairperson, Committee on Subordinate Legislation from 1998 to 1999. In 2003, he was elected as an MLA from Tughlakabad, defeating INC candidate Shish Pal Singh by 23,983 votes. He was the Vice President of BJP Delhi Pradesh from 2003 to 2008. In 2008, he was elected as an MLA from Tughlakabad, defeating BSP candidate Sahi Ram by 8,234 votes. In the same year, he became General Secretary, BJP Delhi Pradesh. In 2013, he was elected as an MLA from Tughlakabad, defeating BSP candidate Sahi Ram by 5,946 votes. In 2014, he was elected as MP from South Delhi, defeating AAP candidate Col. Devinder Sehrawat by 1,07,000 votes.
Ramesh Bidhuri during a Lok Sabha session
From 12 September 2014 to 25 May 2019, he was a Member of Standing Committee on Welfare of Other Backward Classes, the Consultative Committee on Ministry of Labour and Employment, and the National Social Security Board. He served as a Member of Committee on Estimates from 22 December 2017 to 25 May 2019. In 2019, he was elected as MP from South Delhi, defeating AAP candidate Raghav Chadha by 3,67,043 votes.
Ramesh Bidhuri campaigning with Sunny Deol ahead of the 2019 general elections
He became a Member of the Committee on Welfare of Other Backward Classes on 31 July 2019. He became a Chairman of Standing Committee of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on 13 September 2019. On 21 November 2019, he became a Member of the General Purposes Committee and the Consultative Committee on the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Besides politics, he also owns a stone crusher business.
Controversies
Accused of Illegal Land Grabbing
On 8 January 2015, the Aam Aadmi Party released a list of cases against Bidhuri, claiming that Bidhuri had lied in his affidavit to the Election Commission. An AAP spokesperson said that Bidhuri had 10 FIRs registered against him. The party also released a written complaint submitted to the Director (Horticulture) DDA dated 14 August 2006 by a deputy director. In the complaint, the deputy director had named Bidhuri among those who threatened him after the officer tried to take possession of an illegally occupied land. The officer claimed that his complaint was recorded but no FIR was registered. AAP also released an affidavit by a security officer of the Archaeological Survey of India, submitted to the Lokayukta Delhi, in which he complained about Bidhuri and his nephew trying to encroach upon DDA land. The complaint was made in August 2014. Bidhuri denied the allegations and said that “AAP is only trying to defame him because several of its members joined the BJP.” On 9 January, Bidhuri sent a legal notice to AAP. He claimed that AAP members were levelling false allegations against him, saying that of the 10 cases referred by AAP, in eight his name was not even mentioned.
Activist Assault Case
In 2019, Bidhuri and his four associates were acquitted in a 2004 case of voluntarily causing hurt to a social activist by a Delhi court after witnesses gave contradictory statements. Other accused were Azad Singh, Mahesh Pandit, Suresh, and Prakash. They were charged under Section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and Section 34 (common intention) of the IPC. The complainant, Ram Shankar, had claimed that Bidhuri verbally abused him at an event, and later he and his associates physically assaulted him.
Accused of Incomplete Disclosure of Information
After the 2019 Lok Sabha election, AAP leader Raghav Chadha accused Bidhuri of incomplete disclosure of information in his affidavit as a candidate for the South Delhi constituency. Chadha approached the Delhi High Court challenging the results of the Lok Sabha elections which declared Bidhuri as elected. The plea sought that the election results be held as void and Chadha, who secured the next highest tally of votes in the constituency, be declared as the winning candidate. Thereafter, Justice Sanjeev Narula issued notice to Bidhuri and the BJP seeking his stand on Chadha’s plea. The court also directed the returning officer to preserve the election records relating to the parliamentary polls for the South Delhi constituency.
A Thread of Offensive Comments
Accused of Using Sexist Abusive Language by Women MPs (2015)
In 2015, five women MPs namely Ranjeet Ranjan (Congress), Sushmita Dev (TMC), Supriya Sule (NCP), Arpita Ghosh (TMC), PK Sreemathi Teacher (CPI(M)) complained to the Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan about the abusive and sexist language used by Bidhuri in Parliament against women. Congress MP from Supaul Ranjeet Ranjan during a media conversation stated,
There was this instance during the budget speech discussion when I talked of the need to give benefits to single women and he turned around saying I should divorce my husband first and then such benefits can be given to me.”
Meanwhile, Bidhuri dismissed the allegations and said,
I have no personal fight with them and I used no such language. They are using these allegations as a diversionary tactic. Ye mahila hone ka naajayaz fayda utha rahi hein. (they are taking undue advantage of being women). They were creating a nuisance in Parliament and we opposed it. Let them pull out old recordings and show when I have used abusive language.”
Remarks on Sonia Gandhi and Mayawati (2017)
In 2017, he passed remarks on former Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Mayawati during a public rally in Mathura. While speaking at an election rally, he said,
Italy me aise sanskar hote honge k, shadi k 5-7 mahine bad pota ya poti bhi aa jaye, Bhartiya sanskriti me aise sanskar nahi hai.”(A grandchild may be born within 5-7 months in Italy but in our culture it doesn’t work that way)
He even drew Mayawati into the Italian remarks saying,
Aise sanskar Congress me ya Mayawati ji k ghar me hote honge… Bhartiya sanskriti me aise sanskar nahi hai”(This kind of culture would either be in Mayawati’s home or Congress family but it’s not there in the Indian culture)
Calling Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal ‘Pimp’(2019)
In May 2019, while addressing a public rally in Delhi’s Mehrauli, Bidhuri abused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by calling him a ‘pimp.’ The event was organised to garner Purvanchali votes for Bidhuri ahead of the 2019 general election. During the rally, Bidhuri said,
Abey, ye Kejriwal bhi bhadwa hai. Ye kab tak rokega? He only has five to six months left”(Kejriwal is a pimp. How long will he be able to stop the case?)
AAP leader Raghav Chadha lodged a complaint with the Delhi chief electoral officer in connection with the matter following which the EC issued a notice to Bidhuri for the derogatory remarks. Videos of Bhiduri’s remarks targetting Kejriwal in 2016 also surfaced online after his remarks.
Your child is not yours! Is it the neighbors fault?
– Ramesh bidhuri to CM kejriwal in 2016#RameshBidhuri #ArvindKejriwal pic.twitter.com/ff93Hv4hIg
— Syed Umar (@syedumar584) September 22, 2023
Taking a Dig At the Parents of a Child (2022)
Reportedly, in 2022, Bidhuri mocked the parent of a child who asked him for assistance with a school-related issue. He said,
Why do you give birth to a child in the first place?”
Calling Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal ‘Bona Duryodhana’ (2023)
In August 2023, amid the ongoing uproar over the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, Bidhuri called Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal ‘Bona Duryodhana.’ He said,
Well said Dwarf Duryodhan. Due to just 3 days of rain in Delhi, all the roads of Delhi were converted into lakes. Crores of scams in the name of making rooms in schools, the so-called World Class Mohalla Clinic is a den of animals and alcoholics.”
Using Slurs Against BSP MP Danish Ali in Lok Sabha (2023)
On 21 September 2023, Ramesh Bidhuri made headlines for making hate speech in parliament. He used violent anti-Muslim slurs against MP Danish Ali of the Bahujan Samaj Party during the Lok Sabha proceedings. Bidhuri’s words were televised and he was heard saying,
Yeh ugrawaaadi (militant), yeh aatankwaadi hai (terrorist), ugrawaadi hai, yeh aantankwaadi hai…Mullah aatankwadi, bharwa (pimp) and katwa (circumcised)…Baahar phenko iss mulle ko (Through this ‘mullah’ out)”
In the viral video, Congress leader Kodikunnal Suresh, who was in the chair, can be seen telling MPs to take their seats. Suresh subsequently stated that he had directed officials to remove Bidhuri’s remarks from the official records. Defence Minister and deputy leader of the Lok Sabha Rajnath Singh expressed his regret over the remarks. However, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh deemed Singh’s statement as “a half-hearted apology.” Later, the BJP issued a show-cause notice to Bidhuri for the objectionable remarks.
BJP MP @rameshbidhuri calling MP Danish Ali a “Bharwa” (pimp), “Katwa” (circumcised), “Mullah Atankwadi” & “Mullah Ugrawadi” ON RECORD in Lok Sabha last night.
Keeper of Maryada @ombirlakota Vishwaguru @narendramodi & BJP Prez @JPNadda along with GodiMedia- any action please? pic.twitter.com/sMHJqaGdUc
— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) September 22, 2023
Car Collection
He has a Toyota Innova and two Mahindra Scorpios.
Assets & Properties
Movable Assets
- Deposits in Banks: Rs 52,04,948
- Motor Vehicles: Rs 37,00,000
Immovable Assets
- Agricultural Land: Rs 15,00,000
- Commercial Buildings: Rs 7,50,00,000
- Residential Buildings: Rs 4,15,00,000
Note: The given estimates of movable and immovable assets are according to the financial year 2019. It does not include assets owned by his wife and dependents.
Net Worth
His net worth was Rs 12,94,39,789 in 2019. It did not include the net worth of his wife and dependents.
Facts/Trivia
- In 2016, Bidhuri filed a defamation complaint under Section 500 of the IPC against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Bidhuri alleged that Kejriwal had defamed him in an interview with a news channel. In the interview, Kejriwal stated that although various criminal cases were pending against Bidhuri, the Delhi police were not taking any action. Kejriwal said,
Ramesh Bidhuri ke khilaf bade bade sangeen charges hain, unko pakda aapne”[There are serious charges against Ramesh Bidhuri, did you catch him]
Bidhuri asserted that he had no pending cases against him and accused Kejriwal of defaming him with such statements. In February 2016, the court issued a summons to Kejriwal, who was granted bail on a personal bond of Rs 10,000 when he appeared in court in July of the same year. In 2020, Kejriwal was acquitted of the charges in the case.
- In 2022, Bidhuri sent a defamation notice to AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj for levelling baseless charges against BJP leaders. Bhardwaj had accused BJP leaders of encroachment and unauthorised construction and released a list of the alleged errant leaders of the party that included Bidhuri. In a press conference, Bidhuri showed the electricity bill and other documents of his property reacting to the allegations. Bidhuri alleged that on the contrary, it was AAP MLAs who had encroached on public land and those belonging to community centres.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education