New Delhi: Senior Samajwadi Party leader and the member of parliament from Rampur in Uttar Pradesh Azam Khan's comment created a furor in Parliament on Thursday.
Khan while addressing the Parliament, reportedly passed a remark at the BJP legislator Rama Devi who represents Sheohar constituency.
Khan said, "Aap mujhe itni acchi lagti hain ki mera mann karta hai ki aap ki aankhon mein aankhein dale rahoon (I find you so nice that I feel like staring at your eyes)."
His remarks did not go down well with the treasury benches who took a stong objection and asked Khan to apologise.
Devi, who was in the chair then, also asked the officials to expunge his remarks.
Khan defended his comment and said, "You are very respected, you are like my sister."
The BJP lawmakers protested and kept asking Khan to render an apology for his remarks.
Read: NCW demands Azam Khan's disqualification from parliament over sexist remark
Samajwadi Party president and former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav defended Khan's statement. Yadav was in the house when the comment was made.
Yadav said, " I don't think Azam Khan ji meant any disrespect to the chair (Rama Devi). These( BJP MPs) people are so rude, who are they to raise fingers?"
As Speaker Om Birla resumed the Chair, he reprimanded Azam Khan and asked for his apology. Speaker Om Birla also gave instructions to expunge the objectionable part.
Refusing to apologise, Khan said he was ready to tender his resignation if he said anything that was unparliamentary. Khan and Yadav later walked out of the house.
Khan has a history of making sexist comments and be in news for wrong reasons. In the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Khan made an inappropriate comment about Jaya Prada, his opponent from the BJP.
While Khan was a minister in the erstwhile Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh, a team of police was entrusted with the task of searching his buffaloes who had gone missing.
In November 2014, Khan commented that the Taj Mahal should be taken away from the Archeological Survey of India and handed over to the Central Wakf Council, a purely Muslim organization.
