Parties flay Mulayam's statement on gang rape

The opposition on Wednesday lashed out at Samajwadi Party (SP) president Mulayam Singh Yadav for his statement that gang rape of a woman was not a practical and logical thing.

Slamming Yadav for his "insensitive" remark, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said the statement showed the mentality of the rulers of the state.

"Having failed to protect the honour of women and give them a sense of security, the SP chief is now taking potshots at hapless victims of gang rape and in turn emboldening the perpetrators," he told IANS.

Pathak recalled that in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the SP chief said rape was a petty mistake that men commit in their younger days. Yadav had also said that rape was not a heinous offence to attract capital punishment.

Leader of the opposition, Swamy Prasad Maurya, also hit out at Yadav for his comment made on Tuesday and said it reflected badly on the ruling party president.

"The insensitive comment mouthed by Mulayam Singh is a telling tale of the mindset of people in power," he added.

The SP leader on Tuesday said that rape was committed by one person and four others were falsely framed in the case, though it was practically not possible for four people to rape one woman.