The BJP Friday termed Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's comments opposing death penalty in rape cases as "dangerous".
In remarks that sparked outrage, Yadav Thursday opposed capital punishment for rape, saying "ladke, ladke hain... galti ho jati hai (boys will be boys... they are bound to commit mistakes)".
Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman Friday said: "This is dangerous. You are saying you will dilute the anti-rape laws and are sending a message to women to not report incidents of rape. You are saying that if it (rape) is not proved, you (women) will also be punished."
"We have to make women strong to make them report cases of rape instead of deterring them," she told the media here.
Sitharaman said the Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh has been unable to protect women in the state and Yadav was making this statement in order to hide their shortcomings.
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