Lucknow, July 29 Uttar Pradesh Minister and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) President O.P. Rajbhar on Tuesday condemned Muslim cleric Maulana Sajid Rashidi for his "indecent, inflammatory, and objectionable" comment on Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav, calling the statement inappropriate and unacceptable.
Speaking to IANS, Rajbhar said: "We condemn the statement of the Maulana who has made such remarks. He should not have made such a statement. If he had commented within the framework of his religion, saying that women should cover their whole body when entering a mosque as per religious traditions, that would have been understandable. But the comment he made went beyond that and is completely unacceptable. We strongly condemn his statement."
The controversy arose after Dimple Yadav, along with her husband and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and other MPs, visited a mosque during a political outreach in Kannauj. Following the visit, Maulana Sajid Rashidi criticised Dimple Yadav’s attire, claiming she entered the mosque premises with her head uncovered, calling it "anti-Islamic."
Rajbhar responded further, urging Akhilesh Yadav to stand by his wife in the face of such targeted comments.
“Dimple Yadav’s husband, Akhilesh Yadav, should come forward in her defence. It is a husband’s moral duty. Politics and voting are separate, but if someone makes personal comments against his wife, it is his responsibility to stand by her. Instead, his wife is taking the lead in confronting us,” Rajbhar added.
He also responded to opposition parties who are raising questions over the government’s handling of 'Operation Sindoor' and 'Operation Mahadev' in Parliament.
Rajbhar said: "The people of the country have chosen Narendra Modi as our Prime Minister. It is his moral responsibility to fulfil the expectations of the people. You’ve seen how, in response to the Pahalgam incident, nine terrorist hideouts were destroyed 100 kilometres inside Pakistan and three terrorists were killed. If the Opposition wants to raise issues, why do they walk out of meetings?"
"There are platforms like the Business Advisory Committee and all-party meetings where parties can suggest issues for discussion. But after leaving such meetings, the Opposition comes back with a different agenda. If something has already been decided in a cabinet or committee meeting, and then you try to bring up unrelated issues in the House, why would the Speaker allow it? The Opposition seems more interested in creating disruptions than engaging in meaningful discussion."
Rajbhar also criticised Congress Parliamentary Party leader Sonia Gandhi over her remarks on Gaza, where she accused Prime Minister Modi of maintaining a "shameful silence" on Israel's military action in the Palestinian territory.
“We should think about our own country - how to ensure its safety, improve education, health, and generate employment. We are Indians, and our focus should be India first. Writing articles is not wrong, but it has become a habit of Rahul Gandhi to criticise India whenever he travels abroad. Sonia Gandhi’s comments about Gaza are misplaced. Whether it is Gaza or anywhere else, our priority must be India,” Rajbhar told IANS.
Rajbhar also commented on the exclusion of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor from the list of speakers for the Operation Sindoor debate in Parliament.
“They have removed him because they fear that Tharoor will speak the truth about Operation Sindoor and its diplomatic outreach,” he said.
On Monday, Tharoor evaded questions from the media about the debate, responding only with the word “Maunvrat, Maunvrat” as he entered Parliament - signalling his decision to maintain silence on the matter.
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