Under fire from all quarters over the spurt in crimes against women in Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party leadership on Wednesday blamed TV channels for promoting vulgarity and asserted that such incidents took place across the country.
With his Chief Minister son Akhilesh Yadav under scrutiny over the deteriorating law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh (UP), Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav was in no mood to entertain media queries on the rise of rape cases in the State.
“What do we doIJ We are sensitive. We are not insensitive... Strict action is being taken against culprits. You do your work and let us do our work,” he said, when asked by reporters in Delhi to comment on rising cases of rape in UP.
On Tuesday, Akhilesh said a Google search would show such crimes occur across the country and blamed the media for playing up incidents taking place in his State.
Going a step further, senior SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav held TV channels responsible for such crimes, saying they show vulgarity, obscenity and violence. Attacking the media for “deliberately” focusing on such incidents only in UP, he said similar cases happened in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra but they were not highlighted.
He also came out with a strange argument on the description of the relationship between girls and boys when it becomes public. “In many places, when the relationship between a girl and a boy comes out in the open, it is termed as rape. In many places, girls and boys are ready (to marry) but honour killings take place. The most saddening and serious thing is that such incidents are not stopping. These incidents happen in other places also but are not highlighted,” he said.
The Centre, meanwhile, expressed concern over the incidents of rape and murder in UP and asked the Akhilesh Government to “act promptly” to improve the law and order situation in the State. Union Minister of State for Home Kiran Rijiju also criticised the Chief Minister for accusing the media of highlighting such cases in UP while ignoring similar incidents in other States.
New BJP MP and former Home Secretary RK Singh said UP was a fit case for imposing President’s Rule as the State has “completely failed” to control law and order.