‘My father is 80, very ill, cannot walk without support’: Emotional Atishi responds to Ramesh Bidhuri’s remarks

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, in an emotional press conference, spoke about her father, who, she said, was so ill that he can’t move around much anymore. She was responding to BJP leader Ramesh Bidhuri’s statement that Atishi changed her father, referring to the change in her surname from Marlena to Singh. 

“I want to tell Mr Ramesh Bidhuri, my father was a teacher all his life. He has taught thousands of children from Delhi’s poor and lower middle class families. Now, he is 80 years old, and remains so ill that he cannot walk without assistance. Will you stoop so low just for politics? You will abuse an elderly for it?,” said Atishi.

She said in the press conference that she never thought the level of India’s politics would drop so low. Atishi said Bidhuri has been the MP from South Delhi for 10 years. “He should tell the people of Kalkaji what he has done for them. Bidhuri should prove that his work in 10 years as MP was more than my work as MLA for 5 years, and ask for votes based on that. He should say that if Atishi made one road, I made 10 roads, if Atishi put up 100 CCTV cameras, I installed 1,000 CCTV cameras, if Atishi put up 1,000 lights, I put up 5,000 lights. He should ask for votes based on his work. Why is he abusing my elderly father and asking for votes?,” she said. 

While speaking at BJP's 'Parivartan Rally' in Rohini that was later addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi too, Bidhuri said, "This Marlena became Singh, changed name. Kejriwal swore over his children not to go with the corrupt Congress, Marlena changed father. Earlier she was Marlena, now she has become Singh. This is their character." Atishi had earlier dropped her surname, Marlena, to use Singh. 

AAP leader Manish Sisodia also urged PM Modi to issue a statement on this. He said Bidhuri made lewd comments on women and a woman chief minister from the same stage that was used by the prime minister to ask for votes for his party. 

Before the Atishi row, Bidhuri had triggered another controversy for his comments on Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi. He said BJP would make the roads of Kalkaji like “Priyanka Gandhi's cheeks”. After facing severe criticism, Bidhuri issued an apology and said that his remarks were misconstrued by some for political gains.