Trying to wriggle out of the controversy over his rape statement Samajwadi Party national president Mulayam Singh Yadav said that his party favours strict action against rapists but is not in favour of death penalty.
Clarifying his statement in a rally in Sambhal he said that Samajwadi Party respects women but at the same time advocate that innocent people should not be punished. ‘’You give the rape accused stringent punishment, but do not push him to gallows,” he said here on Friday.
‘’Several people and organisations also support my views. SP has also raised the issue in the all party meetings but my statement was shown in a different prospective by media. Some electronic channels have branded me as Villon which is wrong,” her said. Yadav was addressing an election meeting in favour of his nephew Dharmendra Yadav, who is contesting from Badaun seat.
The SP president demanded that action should also be taken against those who file fake reports of rape. ‘’Why the girls are allowed to go scot free after lodging false cases against boys’’, he said. Narrating in detail about the change in the society, he said in the present society, boys and girls have friendship and when they part ways, the girl goes to police station and lodges complain against the boy. ‘’In such cases what is boy’s fault. Our law does not protect the innocent boy,’’ he said. He said the party has always protested against capital punishment to the rape accused.
Meanwhile, several organisations and political parties have protested against the statement of Yadav when he advocated leniency against rape accused. He even said that some times boys commit mistakes and for that they should not be given capital punishment. He also supported Md Azam Khan’s statement and said whatever he had said about Kargil was correct. Budaun is going to polls on April 17.