Nawada (Bihar), Jul 28: Former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Sunday defended Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan's remarks against BJP MP Rama Devi in Lok Sabha, saying they were not taken in the right spirit.

"When brothers and sisters, mothers and sons meet and plant a kiss by way of affection, the gesture is not seen as having sexual overtones. Azam Khan's words are not being taken in the right spirit," Manjhi told reporters.

The Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) leader said Azam need not resign but should tender an apology to put an end to the matter.

"I therefore hold the opinion that he need not resign but since all parties have objections he should tender an apology and be done with the matter," Manjhi, who was on a tour of Newada, said.

Participating in the debate on the triple talaq bill on Thursday in Lok Sabha, Khan had referred to the intervention of Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and read out a couplet "... tu idhar-udhar ki baat na kar ..." (do not divert from the topic).

At this, Rama Devi, who was presiding over the proceedings, asked Khan not to "look here and there" and address the Chair.

To this, the SP member made sexist remarks at the Chair, triggering acrimonious scenes.

The remarks were expunged from the records.

Members in Lok Sabha condemned the remarks by Khan against the Bihar MP and demanded exemplary action against him.

Khan was informed on Friday to appear before Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on July 29 and tender an unconditional apology in the House, sources had said. 

Rama Devi had said that an apology was not enough and Khan should be suspended from the House for five years.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Prayagraj (PTI): The Allahabad High Court has set aside a lower court order mandating a man to pay maintenance to his estranged wife, observing that she earns her living and did not reveal the true salary in her affidavit.

Justice Madan Pal Singh also allowed a criminal revision petition filed by the man, Ankit Saha.

"A perusal of the impugned judgment indicates that in the affidavit filed before the trial court, the opposite party herself admitted that she is a post-graduate and a web designer by qualification. She is working as a senior sales coordinator in a company and getting a salary of Rs 34,000 per month," the court said in the December 3 order.

"But in her cross-examination, she has admitted that she was earning Rs 36,000 per month. Such an amount for a wife who has no other liability cannot be said to be meagre; whereas the man has the responsibility of maintaining his aged parents and other social obligations," it observed.

The high court observed that the woman was not entitled to get any maintenance from her husband "as she is an earning lady and able to maintain herself".

The man's counsel argued in court that the estranged wife did not reveal the whole truth in the affidavit.

"She claimed herself to be an illiterate and unemployed woman. When the document filed by the man was shown to her before the trial court, she admitted her income during cross-examination. Thus, it is clear that she did not come before the trial court with clean hands," the counsel submitted.

The court, in its order, said, "Cases of those litigants who have no regard for the truth and those who indulge in suppressing material facts need to be thrown out of the court."

It impugned the lower court's February 17 judgment and order, passed by the principal judge of a family court in Gautam Buddh Nagar and allowed the criminal revision petition filed by the man.