The Lok Sabha is set to pass a unanimous resolution authorising the Speaker to take action against Samajwadi Party MP Azam Khan over sexist remarks he made about Bihar MP Rama Devi.

Ministers demand action

Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani, raising the matter in Zero Hour on Friday, said Khan’s comments in the House on Thursday, during the debate on the Triple Talaq Bill, were a “blot” on every legislator, men included. She said MPs could not stay silent and must say together that such conduct was unacceptable.

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad backed her, saying Khan should either apologise or be suspended from the House. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman called the remarks “utterly condemnable” and asked the Speaker for exemplary action. Several other women MPs also expressed their anger and asked for strict action.

Cross-party response

Speaker Om Birla said he would meet leaders of all parties before reaching a decision. The NCP’s Supriya Sule, the Trinamool Congress’s Kalyan Banerjee and the BJD’s B Mahtab were among the members who joined in condemning Khan’s remarks.

The Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, said anyone who demeans women should face action, and pointed to objectionable language used by members against Sonia Gandhi in the past. That drew protests from the treasury benches, whose members said the issue should not be politicised.

See also: Samajwadi Party | Lok Sabha members

Originally published on 26 July 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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