Azam Khan, a Member of Parliament (MP) of the Samajwadi Party (SP,) on the 29th of July, apologised for his sexist comment against Rama Devi, the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
Azam Khan apologised by saying, “Sister, I have had a long political career, it is not possible for me to say anything bad. If there is a single unparliamentary word in what I said, then I declare my resignation from parliament.” He further added, “I had no malintent towards the Chair. Everyone in the House knows my speech and my conduct, but despite this, if the Chair feels that I made a mistake then I apologise for that.”
However, Ms. Devi refused to accept his apology and said, “Azam Khan’s behaviour has hurt the Nation and its women. He has always made such remarks and never changed. His habit should change. He says whatever comes to his mouth, this needs to change.”
Earlier, Ms. Devi said if Azam Khan had apologised the same day, she would have forgiven him, but instead of apologising that day (25th of July,) he chose to walk out in anger.
The apology of Mr. Khan came after he was criticised for his sexist comment directed at Rama Devi, a MP of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP.)
It is also suspected Khan apologised after a meeting between Om Birla, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and Akhilesh Yadav, the President of the SP.
On the 25th of July, during a session of the Lok Sabha, Azam, while arguing about the Triple Talaq Bill, addressed Ms. Devi and said, “Look into my eyes and talk.”
On the 26th of July, Cabinet Ministers like Smriti Irani, Nirmala Sitharaman and others criticised Azam for his comments and asked for an apology. The Union Ministers also appealed to Om Birla to take strict action against Khan.
This is not the first time Azam Khan was criticised for his sexist comments. Previously, he made a sexist comment against Jaya Prada, a member of the BJP.
Om Birla concluded the matter with a warning to Azam Khan and also asked the MPs of the Lok Sabha to maintain dignity in the House.
Stay tuned for further updates.
