Lawmaker in hot water over ‘sexist’ remarks

Indian lawmakers want one of their peers punished for his sexist remarks to the House speaker, the second time he has drawn flak for such language.

Indian lawmakers called on Friday for one of their colleagues to be punished for making sexist remarks to the House speaker, the second time he has been in hot water over his treatment of a female colleague.

Azam Khan responded sarcastically when Rama Devi, deputy speaker for the lower House, asked him to look at her as he addressed her during a debate on Thursday.

“I want to look at you so much that you will end up telling me to look away,” Khan responded, in comments Indian media condemned as sexist.

“I like you so much, you are so dear to me that I only wish to gaze into your eyes all the time,” said the 70-year-old representative of the regional Samajwadi Party.

The comments came months after Khan came under fire for remarking on the color of underwear of a former female member of the parliament (MP), and triggered outraged responses from some rival politicians.

No silent spectators

“This parliament passed the sexual harassment at the workplace bill ... we cannot just sit around and be silent spectators,” India’s women’s minister Smriti Irani told the House on Friday.

India’s parliament has a reputation for boisterousness, with the speaker frequently forced to call off daily proceedings as lawmakers loudly heckle each other, or try to press their demands by storming the well of the House.

Just 78 of the 542 seats in India’s lower House are held by women.

Defended by party

Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav later defended Khan, saying he did not mean any disrespect to Devi, a member of parliament from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Nonetheless, some social media users condemned his remarks and television news channels debated whether he should be suspended.

Khan himself appeared unrepentant.

“Sister, I have had a long political career, it is not possible for me to say anything bad,” he told the speaker after the furor over his original remarks.