Chronic motormouth and senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader, Azam Khan is back in the news again after the Supreme Court today asked him to tender unconditional apology for his alleged remarks on Bulandshahr gangrape case.
Khan had sparked off a row in August, 2016, when he said that the gangrape case could be a ‘political conspiracy to malign the image of the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh.
The horrific incident of Bulandshahr had led to a nationwide outcry in which a woman and her 14-year-old daughter was gang raped by robbers on the National Highway just 60 kilometres away from Delhi.
The SP firebrand leader often strikes the headlines for his sensational allegations, communal politics, abusive language and a foot-in-mouth disease that spares none; we seriously hope that Azam will learn something from the apex court order and will think twice before making a controversial statement again.
Today, we bring you some of the most controversial statements made by the babbling Khan for which he should have apologized!
Why rake up the rape issue for fame?
In November 2015, Khan had told a rape victim to not to try and find ‘popularity’ in such a thing of infamy and shame’.
The incident occurred during an event in Kanpur where the woman had come to petition the urban development minister on the slow pace of police investigation.
At the event, when the woman pleaded her case before Khan, he responded saying: “Agar aap badnami ko itni shohrat dengi, toh zamane ko apni shakl kaise dikhayengi?”
Paris attacks a reaction to US actions in Syria, Iraq
Stirring a major controversy, Khan had said that the global superpowers must realize that the Paris terror attack was a ‘reaction’ to their ‘action’ in Syria and Iraq.
“European cities “cannot be lit up with the ill-gotten wealth from the oil reserves of Middle East,” Khan had said.
Mobile phones are responsible for child rape case
In October 2015, Khan came out with a logic that execessive use of mobile phones and easy access to paedophile content is responsible for the rise in child rapes.
“It is very shameful that child rapes are occurring in India, but we need to think what the truth behind the rape of a child is. The truth is this mobile (phone), the content that you get to see on this for free,” Khan had said.
His statement came after two minor girls, one aged two-and-a-half, and the other aged five were gang-raped in separate incidents in Delhi.
Kashmir is not a part of India
In 2010, Khan sparked row after he questioned whether Kashmir was part of India. He said that there is only one Muslim minister in the Union Cabinet.
Khan said that the minister is not from this country but from Kashmir. He was referring to Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is a Kashmiri.
God’s fury killed Rajiv and Sanjay Gandhi
In April 2014, Khan said that the untimely deaths of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and his brother Sanjay Gandhi were “acts of Allah”.
He said Rajiv and Sanjay had committed “serious crimes” and were “punished by Allah” and which is why they met brutal deaths.
He had said that Sanjay Gandhi was responsible for mass and forcible sterilization during the emergency rule of his mother and he accused Rajiv Gandhi of incurring the “wrath of gods” as he had presided over the opening of the Babri mosque to Hindus for prayers.
