National Democratic Alliance (NDA) lawmakers staged a protest on Monday within the Parliament complex, voicing strong opposition to the derogatory comments made by Islamic cleric Maulana Sajid Rashidi against Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Dimple Yadav.
Marching together outside the Parliament, the NDA MPs carried placards bearing the slogan, "Nari garima par prahar, nahi karenge kabhi bhi sweekar" (We will never accept any attack on women's dignity), emphasizing their call for accountability regarding the cleric's comments.
The demonstration comes after an FIR registered by Lucknow Police against Maulana Rashidi for allegedly having made misogynistic and inflammatory remarks during a TV debate. Rashidi is said to have condemned Dimple Yadav for going out in public without a headscarf, adding a derogatory statement that has generated outrage on both political sides and from the public at large.
His remarks were reportedly prompted by a video of the recent Samajwadi Party event at Delhi's Sansad Marg mosque, where Dimple Yadav, SP president Akhilesh Yadav, and Kairana MP Iqra Hasan were present.
The cleric's remarks have been broadly criticized as anti-women and socially regressive. Officials have confirmed that an FIR has been filed and a probe is on.
While the NDA had also organized a protest on the issue of seeking justice, the Opposition's INDIA alliance organized its own demonstration outside Parliament, targeting the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive in Bihar.
Senior opposition leaders, including SP leader and Dimple Yadav's husband Akhilesh Yadav, gathered at Parliament's Makar Dwar, raising slogans and seeking the instant suspension of the SIR exercise.
The process of revision has been politically loaded following reports that over 52 lakh names may be struck off the rolls because of duplication, migration, or death.
Opposition parties accuse the SIR of selectively removing marginalised and migrant groups' names, calling it a case of "institutional voter cleansing" to the advantage of the ruling coalition.
The Election Commission has dismissed these arguments, saying that the revision is a normal, legally required exercise conducted with transparency and fairness.
