Azam makes sexist remark against officiating Speaker, sparks uproar

New Delhi : Samajwadi Party(SP) leader Azam Khan on Thursday courted a fresh controversy when he made a sexist remark against BJP MP Rama Devi who was in the Chair in the Lok Sabha sparking an uproar and demands for his apology.

The National Commission For Women(NCW) and the Delhi Commission For Women (DCW) condemned Khan's comment, dubbing it "lecherous and disgraceful".

Participating in the debate on the triple talaq bill, Khan referred to the intervention of Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and read out a couplet "... tu idhar-udhar ki baat na kar ..." (do not divert from the topic).

At this, Rama Devi, who was presiding over the proceedings, asked Khan not to "look here and there" and address the Chair. To this, the SP member made a sexist remark at the Chair, triggering acrimonious scenes.

"Aap mujhe itni acchi lagti hain ki mera mann karta hai ki aap ki aankhon mein aankhein dale rahoon (I like you so much that I always want to keep looking into your eyes)," news agency ANI quoted Azam Khan as saying.

Rama Devi later directed that Khan's remark be removed from the records.

She, however, said she is like his (Azam Khan's) younger sister. Khan's remark infuriated union ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad and Arjun Ram Meghwal as they urged the Chair to ask him to apologise.

When Khan was asked to do so by Rama Devi, he said he meant no disrespect to her as she was like his "dear sister". SP chief Akhilesh Yadav rose to defend Khan. Meanwhile, Speaker Om Birla took over the proceedings.

Yadav said there was no intention to malign the Chair, sparking protests by the BJP members. He then made a remark on the conduct of BJP members.

The Speaker took objection to the remark reminding Yadav that he had been a chief minister and should be mindful of words which were unparliamentary.

He also asked the SP chief, a former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, to apologise. Yadav said the word he used was first used by the treasury benches.