The incident took place on Thursday 25 July during a debate on the Muslim divorce bill, when Samajwadi Party lawmaker Mohammad Azam Khan, representing Rampur constituency in northern Uttar Pradesh, was making remarks to the Deputy Speaker Rama Devi, who was presiding over the proceedings.
Rama Devi asked Khan to address the Chair instead of looking at lawmakers. To this, he replied “I can keep looking at you, and you will ask me to look away. You look so lovely. I could keep gazing at you…,” he said in Hindi.
On Friday, the House unanimously asked the Speaker Om Birla to take “exemplary action” against Khan. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said it was “condemnable conduct” and the “entire country watched it”.
Another lawmaker Smriti Irani, Minister of Textiles and Women and Child Development said it was a totally “objectionable act”. She said, as a woman she has the protection of law enforcement agencies outside the House, but inside, as custodian of the rights of lawmakers, the Speaker should take appropriate action, so that such incidents do not ever take place in the future.
Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad requested that Khan apologise in the House, or be expelled from the Lok Sabha.
The leader of main opposition Congress Party, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said his party would endorse any decision taken by the Speaker.
The Speaker adjourned the House for two hours. When the House meets later, he is expected to give his ruling.
There was significant outrage on social media over the incident.
Azam khan is continuously speaking nonsense & Akhilesh yadav behind him prevoking to speak more.
— AVNIJESH (@Avnijesh) July 25, 2019
1 RT = 1 Slap pic.twitter.com/RhOKJXOfq7
A political functionary in her tweet alleged that Azam Khan was a repeat offender, but his party chief supports such misogynistic comments, which exposes their patriarchal and chauvinistic mindset.
MP Azam Khan is a repeat offender and yet his party continues to back him to the hilt. Surprised to see Akhilesh Yadav ji come out in support of such misogynistic comments. Exposes the patriarchal and chauvinistic mindset of the leaders of the party.
— Priyanka Chaturvedi (@priyankac19) July 25, 2019
Azam Khan was not present in the House, during the debate. A newspaper report indicates, he had offered to resign, if his remark was “unparliamentary”.
