New Delhi:
Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj has slammed Samajwadi Party lawmaker Azam Khan for his sexist remarks against Lok Sabha Deputy Chairman Rama Devi saying he suffers from ‘mental perversion’.
Swaraj said that the senior Samajwadi Party leader deserves a stringent punishment to preserve the dignity.
"Azam Khan is known for making such statements which prove that he suffers from mental perversion. The statement that he made while addressing a lady Chairperson crossed all limits of decency. He deserves a stringent punishment to preserve the dignity and decorum of the House," Sushma Swaraj said in a tweet.
Participating in the debate on the triple talaq bill on Thursday, 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 asked Khan not to "look here and there" and address the chair. At this, the SP member made a sexist remark at the Chair, leading to an uproar. Rama Devi, however, said she is like his (Azam Khan's) younger sister. She ordered that Khan's remarks be removed from the record.
Khan is known for making controversial statements. In the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, the SP leader was facing criticism for his "khaki underwear" jibe at BJP leader Jaya Prada in one of his election speeches. The Election Commission of India, miffed over his inflammatory remarks at several places in Uttar Pradesh, barred him from campaigning for 72 hours and served him a show-cause notice.
Meanwhile, Khan was informed on Friday to appear before Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on July 29 and tender an unconditional apology in the House for his sexist remarks against BJP MP Rama Devi, sources said.
According to the sources, if Khan fails to apologise, a resolution authorising the speaker to take 'exemplary action' against him will be passed.
