Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan directed to apologise for his sexist remark

In a meeting of floor leaders of all parties chaired by the Lok Sabha Speaker, it was decided that Khan should apologise or face action. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will ask Khan to tender an apology, reported News 18.

"The Speaker will ask Azam Khan to apologise over his comments made against Rama Devi without any condition in the House. If he does not do so, the Speaker has been authorised to take action against him," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi was quoted as saying by the news channel.

Khan stirred the controversy on Thursday by making a sexist jibe at the then officiating Speaker Rama Devi. 

Rama Devi along with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) lawmakers had asked Khan to apologise but he addressed Rama Devi as his "sister".

SP president Akhilesh Yadav, who was sitting next to Khan, defended his colleague and lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) calling the saffron outfit as 'badtameez'.

Speaker Birla, who was presiding at the time, told Akhilesh it was Azam who needed to apologise for using an unparliamentary word.

"It is very easy for all of you to demand 'expunge this, expunge that', but why should the need to expunge arise at all? Once a remark is made, it is already in the public domain. Therefore, we all should speak keeping the dignity of Parliament in mind," said the Speaker.

As Azam rose to speak on the "Triple Talaq" bill, the cries of "shame" became louder. All the SP members in the House then walked out in protest.

The recent controversy takes back to the days during the Lok Sabha Elections 2019 when Khan had made a sexist remark on BJP candidate Jaya Prada.