Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Saturday courted controversy again over the rising incidents of crime in Uttar Pradesh saying every crime cannot be checked in the State with a population of 21 crore. His remarks evoked instant condemnation from the BJP, the Congress and the BSP.
“The population is so high. UP has a population of 21 crore. If there are least amount of rapes in this country, they are in Uttar Pradesh. Every crime cannot be checked in the State. It’s not only about rapes, there are many more crimes and no Government can stop all of it at once. Ever since Independence, there has been no State where crimes don’t happen, irrespective of the party which rules the State. That is why we talk about speedy trail, and then it can be stopped to some extent,” Mulayam said.
Yadav’s comments came after another brutal gangrape and murder of a woman in lucknow’s Mohanlalganj came to light on Thursday. The woman’s nude body was spotted by a watchman near a primary school in Balsingh Khera village of Mohanlalganj Tehsil in lucknow.
Mulayam and his son Akhilesh had earlier too made controversial statements on rape. Akhilesh had courted controversy when a woman journalist had asked him about the law and order situation in the State, to which he replied: “I hope you have not faced any danger!” When the journalist replied no, the Chief Minister said, “Thank you. You should propagate this.”
The party supremo himself too had raked up a huge controversy on rape cases when he had publicly said, “Boys are boys, they make such mistakes. That doesn’t mean that you award them capital punishment.”
Senior BJP leader Prabhat Jha said 21 crore people of UP had brought Mulayam Singh Yadav and his party to power and thus whoever is in the Government, it’s their responsibility to protect the people of the State. “Governments don’t work on such statements. That’s why I don’t agree with what he says,” said Jha, also a Rajya Sabha member.
Another BJP leader Nalin Kohli wondered as to why senior Yadav always comes up with these type of statements. “Whether it’s about boys will be boys or should rapists be hanged. As the ruling party of Uttar Pradesh, he and his party and especially his son as the Chief Minister must ensure proper law and order. They must punish the guilty,” Kohli said.
Condemning the Mohanlalganj incident and other such crime against women in the State reported in recent months, HRD Minister Smriti Irani said that the law needs to be implemented more forcefully in the State. A number of rape incidents, including the rape and murder of two cousins whose bodies were found hanging from a tree in Badaun, have been reported in the State in recent months.
Irani, who is in Amethi from where she contested the lok Sabha polls, also asked the UP Government to pay special attention towards the security of women and children. Reacting to Mulayam’s statement, Irani said, “He is a senior leader and should make statements after deliberation.”
While senior Congress leader Rita Bahunguna Joshi said women in Uttar Pradesh don’t feel safe as no strict action is taken against the criminals who commit such crimes, her party colleague Rashid Alvi said that even one such case was shameful. UPCC president Nirmal Khatri said Yadav’s statement only highlights his insensitivity toward crimes, specially those against women.
Opposition BSP too condemned and described the deteriorating law and order situation in UP and also flayed Mulayam for his comment that cases of rape in the State were not that high if one took into account its large population.
National Commission for Women member Shamina Shafiq said Uttar Pradesh leaders “just have to read newspapers” and they will know the number of rape cases in the State. She said while only a few are highlighted, many are reported from the districts.
A day after UP Governor Aziz Qureshi sought a report on the Mohanlalganj rape case, Akhilesh held a prolonged meeting with him on Saturday and discussed the law and order situation of the State to be apprised to the Centre. The UP CM also took stock of the probe into the brutal rape and murder of the woman in Mohanlalganj and directed police to solve the case at the earliest.
Defending Mulayam, SP leader Naresh Agarwal said, “What netaji has said that is the ground reality. In the lucknow case, the woman had left with a known person but then the attack happened. The accused have been identified. Strict action will be taken against them,” he said.
Agarwal also added that crimes against women are happening across the country. “These rapes have not only about UP, it’s about whole country. look at what happened in Bangalore. This has become the trend in India and Government should introspect in it,” said Agarwal, who is also a Rajya Sabha member.