Demanding expunction of certain “derogatory comments” against Prime Minister Narendra Modi made by Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan, BJP members disrupted the proceedings of the state Assembly leading to brief adjournment of the House during the Question Hour on Tuesday.
As the House was discussing law and order issue, the state Parliamentary Affairs Minister in an apparent reference to Modi said, “It is an irony that the ‘badshah’ of the country does not keep his mother with him and goes on gifting things to enemy’s mother. He talks of ‘beti bachao’ (save daughters) but left his own wife.”
The comments were an apparent reference to Modi gifting a shawl to his Pakistani counterpart’s mother on the latter’s visit to India during Modi’s swearing-in-ceremony in 2014.
Modi had also sent a saree for Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s mother.
BJP members took strong exception to the comments and rushed to the Well demanding that the Speaker expunge the “derogatory words” from the proceedings.
The minister, however, said the country wanted to know who were inside the room when ‘badshah’ was giving birthday wishes (to Nawaz Sharif in Pakistan).
Even after Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey’s assurance that he will look into the matter, BJP members did not return to their seats. The Speaker then adjourned the House for 20 minutes till 12.20 PM.
Earlier, BJP member Suresh Kumar Khanna wanted to know from the Samajwadi party-led state government about the response of ‘1090 women helpline’ when the Bulandshar rape incident took place on July 19.
He said had the helpline responded properly, the incident would not have happened.
Commenting on the alleged attacks on state police, Khanna said, “Earlier when there were attacks on police personnel, the houses of accused were even dug up.”
Khan, while replying to him, said the state government worked under the limits of law and it could not resort to such acts.
Not satisfied with the response, Khanna said as the Supreme Court had sought a reply from Khan over his alleged controversial remarks about the Bulandshar incident, the minister should resign on moral grounds.
The BJP member then walked out of the House with party members.
Azam Khan had courted controversy by allegedly saying that the Bulandshar incident was a “politically controversy”.
The SC had yesterday sought a reply from the minister and the state government on a plea to shift the probe and trial in the case out of the state due to “distrust”.
“The court’s observation has come on the basis of the facts provided to it. I will give my reply to it. As far as my stand on rape victims is concerned, I feel the matter should be decided within a week as per the Islamic law, and the guilty should be stoned to death,” Khan said.
“As a minister, when I said the reality behind five similar incidents should come out, why is a particular party worried? The CBI probe is underway in the case and the fact will come out. The UP government is also concerned about such incidents,” he added.
Sourced from PTI, Featured image courtesy: thewire.in
