FIR against Azam for ''khaki underwear’ remark against Jaya

Shahira Naim
Tribune News Service
Lucknow, April 15

An FIR has been registered in Rampur against senior Samajwadi Party leader and mahagatbandhan Rampur candidate Mohd Azam Khan for a making an indecent remark against rival BJP candidate Jaya Prada.

He was speaking at an election meeting at Shahbad maidan in Rampur on Sunday when in the presence of SP national president Akhilesh Yadav, Azam Khan made the controversial remark.

Without taking the name of two-time Samajwadi party MP from Rampur and now BJP candidate Jaya Prada,  Azam Khan said that  while it took 17 years for the people to make out the truth, he had discovered within 17 days that the underwear beneath was ‘khaki’.

Reacting to the statement, Jaya Prada had said that he shouldn’t be allowed to contest elections.

“If this man wins what will happen to democracy,” she told news channels.

Chairperson of National Commission for Women Rekha Sharma in a tweet said, “Absolutely disgraceful. Azam Khan is always abusive and disrespectful towards women. NCW will take suo moto and will send a notice to him. Will request Election Commission to bar him from contesting elections”

However, Azam Khan has refuted the statement. Speaking to a news channel, he said that he had been nine-time MLA from Rampur and also a minister and knew what to say.

He said that he was being quoted out of context when in actual fact the statement was in reference to a man at the moment sick and admitted in a Delhi hospital who had said that he brought 150 riflemen with him to Rampur and if he would have spotted Azam Khan he would have shot him (read Amar Singh).

"I will not contest the polls if proven guilty...I haven't named or insulted anyone and I know what I should say," said Azam Khan.

Delhi Commission for Women called for making such remarks grounds of disqualification. In her letter to the Election Commission, DCW chairwoman Swati Maliwal called Khan’s remarks a “big low” on Indian politics. She asked the commission to amend its election code to disqualify candidates making such remarks.

She also demanded a criminal case against Khan.