​New Delhi: The parliamentary privileges committee will resume its deliberations over charges that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Ramesh Bidhuri hurled communal slurs at Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) parliamentarian Danish Ali during a discussion in the Lok Sabha onSeptember 22 by asking both lawmakers to depose before it on December 7.

“Oral evidence of Kunwar Danish Ali, MP in respect of complaints received from various Members of Parliament against Shri Ramesh Bidhuri and Kunwar Danish Ali, MPs for alleged improper conduct during the discussion on Chandrayaan-III Mission in the House. (2) Oral evidence of Shri Ramesh Bidhuri, MP in respect of complaints received from various Members of Parliament against him and Kunwar Danish Ali, MPs for alleged improper conduct during the discussion on Chandrayaan-III Mission in the House,” the notice of the meeting said on Tuesday.

The privileges panel, led by BJP’s Sunil Singh, will hear Ali for the first time after he accused Bidhuri of making communally explicit remarks against him. Complaints have also been filed against Ali for indecent utterances and conduct, and for offering a running commentary when Bidhuri was speaking on Chandrayaan-3 in the special session of Parliament in September.

READ | BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri skips privileges committee meeting

Ali filed the complaint in September, and the delay in the probe against Bidhuri led some opposition members to draw a parallel between the quick deliberations against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra in the ethics panel and the Bidhuri case.

There is no possibility of partial treatment against opposition lawmakers, top-ranking officials said. “No meetings were possible due to festivals, including Durga Puja, Kali Puja, Chhath puja,” a member of the privileges panel said, wishing to remain unnamed. “Many members of the panel are not available during this period.”

“The fact that the privileges panel has called its meeting days after the winter session schedule (was announced) underlines that there is no delay,” he said. “A case filed by BJP lawmaker Janardan Singh Sigriwal is also pending.”

The winter session will be held from December 4 to 22. BJP MP Sigriwal had filed a privilege notice against police officials and Patna administration officers for physically assaulting him during a protest.

READ | ‘Exposed BJP’s face’: Danish Ali takes swipe after Ramesh Bidhuri gets new role as poll in-charge

In his letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on September 24, Ali had sought a privilege probe against Bidhuri. “During the course of his speech, he directed the most foul, abusive invectives against me which are part of the record of the Lok Sabha,” he had written. “Among the words he directed against me were Bhadwa (pimp), Katwa (circumcised one), Mullah ugravadi (Muslim terrorist), atankvadi (terrorist) etc.”

Earlier this month, when Moitra faced an ethics panel over a cash for query charge, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi said, “Has Ramesh Bidhuri appeared in front of the ethics committee? Will television media continue to play to the tune of powers to be or will they practice journalism? Will Gautam Adani be scrutinised for his business practices like Facebook CEO is in the US Congress?”

Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee had raised similar concerns. “Ramesh Bidhuri shamelessly spews offensive remarks, trampling on the sanctity of Parliament,” he said on November 3. “Shockingly, no action was taken by the ethics committee. Why? Simply because he’s a BJP politician!”