SP leaders consider it their life's goal to prove every rapist, criminal innocent: Adityanath

Adityanath recalled Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav's controversial "boys will be boys" remark made a decade ago to hit out at the opposition party, saying that its leaders "should be ashamed".

Ayodhya/Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday alleged the opposition Samajwadi Party consider it "their life's goal to prove every rapist and criminal innocent" and asserted that it would not be possible in the state.

In his address at an event at Kumarganj in Ayodhya, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working to empower women across the country through the 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' drive and the Nari Shakti Vandan Act, ensuring 33 per cent reservation of women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

"On the other hand Samajwadi Party leaders are supporting those who gang-raped a doctor in Kolkata," Adityanath said after distributing tablets and smartphones to students and appointment letters at a district-level mega employment fair and youth conference in Ayodhya.

The alleged rape and murder of a trainee woman doctor while on duty at West Bengal government-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata and subsequent vandalism there has sparked nationwide protests.

The Uttar Pradesh chief minister recalled Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav's controversial "boys will be boys" remark made a decade ago to hit out at the opposition party, saying that its leaders "should be ashamed".

"Values remain... These are the same people who used to say 'they are boys, they make mistakes'," Adityanath said.

The chief minister said, "These are the same people who shamelessly worked to save those criminals in the rape of a poor girl from a very backward caste in Ayodhya." A 12-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a bakery owner and his employee in Ayodhya over two months ago. The incident came to light when recently the medical examination revealed that the victim was pregnant.

The ruling BJP has alleged that the bakery owner is a member of the Samajwadi Party and is part of the team of Faizabad MP Awadhesh Prasad.

"One of their leaders was caught in a similar case in Kannauj. In Lucknow too, the Samajwadi Party chief stood in support of the criminals who threw a girl in the rainwater," Adityanath said.

"It seems their party's character has become like this... They have considered it their life's goal to prove every rapist and criminal innocent, but this will not happen in Uttar Pradesh." He said, "Today Ayodhya is changing. Our Ayodhya Dham, which was cursed due to the acts of the previous governments, is today presenting a model of development." "Those who do not like this development of Ayodhya have started spreading propaganda on social media. The intelligence and discretion of such people are doubtful.

"They try to put the people of Ayodhya in the dock by spreading fake news. Those who defame Ayodhya are the same people who had bloodied Ayodhya," Adityanath said.

Talking about the employment fair and youth conference, he said, "Our youth is the medium of our progress and India's empowerment. The aspirations of the youth need wings. To give them wings, we are present here for distribution of employment letters and tablets." About the police recruitment exam, the chief minister said, "The process of the recruitment exam is going ahead... we are going to recruit 60,000 youths. Such a huge recruitment has never happened in the history of Uttar Pradesh." PTI CDN NSD NSD