india

Updated: Jul 30, 2019 05:50 IST

Samajwadi Party lawmaker Azam Khan on Monday tendered an apology in the Lok Sabha for making derogatory comments against a woman MP. The apology followed protests and a demand to suspend him from the House.

Khan had made derogatory comments against Bharatiya Janata Party’s Rama Devi last week, when the latter, who was in the Chair at the time, had asked him to address the chair while speaking in the House.

“The matter which has come before you, I never had any such opinion about the Chair. I have twice been parliamentary affairs minister and minister for four times. I have been nine-time MLA and a member of the Rajya Sabha. The entire House knows what I said. But if the Chair thinks I have done something wrong, I apologize for it,” Khan said on Monday.

However, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla asked Khan to repeat his apology as Rama Devi could not hear it the first time. Khan stood up again to apologize and added that he had always treated Rama Devi as his sister.

Hitting out at Khan, Rama Devi, said she has been elected to the Lok Sabha as a voice of the people. “I didn’t come to Parliament to hear those words. He has a habit of making such statements. His remarks have hurt women and men. He can’t understand what he has done. Inki aadat bigadi hui hai, zaroorat se zada bigadi hui hai,” she added.

(With PTI inputs)