Uproar in UP Assembly after minister's remarks against PM

Lucknow, Aug 30: Certain remarks by Uttar Pradesh Minister Azam Khan apparently against Prime Minister Narendra Modi today led to an uproar in the Assembly with BJP members disrupting the proceedings and forcing a brief adjournment by pressing for expunction of the "derogatory comments".

During a discussion on law and order issue, Khan, in an apparent reference to Modi, said, "It is an irony that the 'badshah' (emperor) 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 by the state's Parliamentary Affairs Minister were an apparent reference to Modi gifting a shawl to his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif's mother on the latter's visit to India during Modi's swearing-in-ceremony in 2014. Modi had also sent a saree for 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 if the helpline had responded properly, the incident would not have happened.

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".

PTI