Akhilesh calls for defamation case against BJP MLA for remarks on Mayawati

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has said that a defamation case should be filed against BJP MLA Rajesh Chaudhary for his remarks against BSP chief Mayawati.

In a video from a news channel shared by Yadav on X on Friday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Chaudhary from Mathura district's Mant area is heard saying, "There is no doubt that Mayawati has been the chief minister of UP four times and it was us (BJP) who made her the chief minister for the first time. We made that mistake".

"Mayawati is the most corrupt chief minister of Uttar Pradesh," Chaudhary goes on to say in the video.

Condemning these remarks, Yadav, in a post in Hindi on X on Friday, said, "Political differences have their place but no one has the right to tarnish her (Mayawati's) dignity as a woman. BJP members are saying that making her chief minister was a mistake, which is also an insult to public opinion in a democratic country."

"Furthermore, making baseless allegations that she was the most corrupt chief minister is highly objectionable. A defamation case should be filed against the BJP legislator for this public statement," he added.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president said the party is grateful to Yadav for responding to Chaudhary's allegations.

"The SP chief has responded to the false allegations made by a BJP MLA from Mathura district, acknowledging the truth about the BSP chief's honesty. The party is grateful for this," she said in a post in Hindi on X on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Chaudhary hit back at Yadav, alleging that the SP chief has "turned the Samajwadi Party into a serial rapist party".

"Boys will be boys, they make mistakes... You have turned the Samajwadi Party into a serial rapist party. In Ayodhya and Kannauj, minor girls from backward and Dalit communities are raped, and you gamble away the honour of Hindu Dalit daughters for minority votes. Akhilesh Yadav, a follower of Aurangzeb, you have already broken all records of corruption," the BJP MLA said in a post in Hindi on X.

"Do you remember the 2nd June 1995 Guest House incident? Samajwadi goons tried to disgrace Mayawati. What insult was left that your goons did not hurl at Mayawati? It was the BJP that saved Mayawati's life and dignity; otherwise, the Samajwadi goons would have killed a Dalit woman leader. You talk about values while publicly insulting your own father on stage for power. You are deeply casteist and corrupt," Chaudhary alleged in the post.

The SP chief had said that the "disrespectful remarks" made by the BJP legislator towards Mayawati reflect the "deep-seated bitterness that BJP members harbour towards women, especially those from marginalised and oppressed communities".

Yadav said that by sheltering such MLAs, the BJP is deeply hurting the dignity of women.

"If the BJP does not take immediate disciplinary action against such people, it will be assumed that this is not just the personal opinion of one legislator but the view of the entire party," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said in the post.

Mayawati also called for action against Chaudhary.

"The party (BSP) feels that this BJP legislator is no longer getting any attention within his own party. That is why he is making outrageous statements about the BSP chief to grab headlines, which is extremely unfortunate," the BSP chief said in a series of posts in Hindi on X.

"The BJP should take strict action against him and if he is mentally ill, they should ensure he gets treatment. Otherwise, it wouldn't be wrong to say that this appears to be part of a conspiracy by the BJP," she said in another post on X.

Mayawati said that if the BJP does not act against Chaudhary then the people of Uttar Pradesh will respond in the upcoming 10 by-elections in the state.

"If the BJP does not take strict action against its legislator, then the party will face the consequences in the next assembly elections when its candidates will lose their deposits. The people will also respond in the upcoming 10 by-elections," she said in the post.