india

Updated: Jul 26, 2019 19:26 IST

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, who had parted ways with the Samajwadi Party after the national elections, on Friday waded into the row over the SP lawmaker Azam Khan’s offensive comment at a BJP MP. Mayawati said Azam Khan should not only apologise in Parliament but to all women.

“The indecent language used by Azam Khan, an SP MP from Uttar Pradesh, against a woman presiding officer in Lok Sabha yesterday hurt the dignity and honour of women, and is very condemnable. For this he should not only apologise in Parliament but to all women,” Mayawati tweeted on Friday after lawmakers including those from the opposition demanded action against Azam Khan.

Several union ministers and woman MPs had earlier in the day raised Azam Khan’s remarks in the Lok Sabha and demanded action against the Samajwadi Party leader, who many described as a “serial offender”.

Union Minister Smriti Irani had called his remarks a “blot on all legislators” while Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman sought exemplary action against Azam Khan. Trinamool Congress’s Mimi Chakraborty had urged Speaker that “all women here are expecting something big from you on this”.

BJP lawmaker Rama Devi was in the presiding officer’s chair on Thursday when she told Azam Khan to address the Chair and not individual members. Azam Khan responded with a comment that was termed as sexist, improper and unparliamentary by several members from the treasury benches.

When Rama Devi asked Khan to apologise, he insisted that he meant no disrespect. He had long been in politics, he said, and was ready to immediately resign if any remark he made was found to be objectionable. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav rose to defend Khan, saying he did not intend to malign the chair. Azam Khan left the house soon after, saying he felt insulted.