Akhilesh miffed over Azam's remark on Bulandshahar rape

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav is unhappy over Azam Khan’s comments on the Bulandshahar rape that it was a conspiracy hatched by the Opposition parties.

The comments have drawn flack from the victim’s family and other political parties. “Assembly polls are near...it should be probed if the gang-rape is a political conspiracy hatched by the Opposition to malign the Uttar Pradesh government,” Khan said in his hometown of Rampur on Monday.

Khan said the Opposition could “stoop” to any level to “oust” the Samajwadi Party (SP) regime in the state. “It (opposition) can do anything to grab power,” the minister added.

Slamming the minister for the comments, the father of the minor victim said he lacked sensitivity. “I want to know if the minister would have made such comments if this had been his daughter,” he said.

Sources in the Samajwadi Party (SP) here said Akhilesh is “very upset” over Azam’s remarks. “He should have refrained from making such comments at a time when there is massive outrage over the incident,” a senior SP leader told DH.

Akhilesh’s plans
Khan’s comments came amid reports that Akhilesh was preparing to meet the victim’s family. “The comments are a huge embarrassment to the party and the government,” the leader said.

BJP leader Vijay Bahadur Pathak said the chief minister should sack Azam from the state Cabinet. “Such comments would embolden criminals and demoralise the police force,” he said.

Armed bandits waylaid the Noida family on a busy highway connecting Delhi with Kanpur in Bulandshahar district, about 500 km from here, on Friday and gang-raped a 14-year old girl and her mother while holding other members of the family at gun point.
DH News Service