Rampur (Uttar Pradesh): Hitting out at Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan for his allegedly misogynistic remarks against Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) leader Jaya Prada, BJP spokesperson Shazia Ilmi has condemned his remarks and called for his arrest to set an example for other offenders.
Demanding an apology from Khan, Ilmi said, "He shouldn't be spared for passing such sexist remarks. We demand an apology from the rank and file of Samajwadi Party as well as Bahujan Samaj Party's (BSP) supremo Mayawati. He should be put behind bars."
"Apart from tendering an apology to Jaya Prada, they need to apologise to the entire womanhood. He has crossed all the limits this time around and it is intolerable," she added.
At an election rally on Sunday, Azam Khan stoked controversy when he said, "I held that person's finger and brought the person to Rampur. You made the person your representative for 10 years. It took you 17 years to understand the person's real face. I realised in 17 days that the underwear beneath is of the khaki colour."
Although the Khan didn't name Prada, who has been pitted against him in the Rampur constituency, conclusions have been drawn that he is hinting at Prada, considering the history shared between the two leaders in the past.
Also read: Azam Khan should not be allowed to contest polls: Jaya Prada
Azam Khan, who once helped Jaya Prada in Rampur when she was a Samajwadi Party candidate, is a repeat offender when it comes to unfiltered statements.
Reacting to Azam Khan's statements, that he is willing to withdraw his candidature if proven guilty of insulting Jaya Prada, Ilmi said, "This is not the first time he has attacked her (Jaya Prada), in the past, his comments even had Jaya Prada bursting into tears on stage."
After his comments deriding Jaya Prada, Khan stoked another controversy when he ridiculed IAS officers, "Don't be afraid of these district collectors, will get them to clean Mayawati's footwear."
Meanwhile, an FIR has been registered against Khan, with UP Police booking him under IPC Section 509 for insulting the modesty of a woman.
