Monsoon Session: NDA protests Islamic cleric's remarks on Dimple Yadav, INDIA bloc rallies against SIR

New Delhi, July 28 (IANS) The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) MPs staged a protest within the Parliament premises on Monday, strongly condemning the derogatory remarks made by Islamic cleric Maulana Sajid Rashidi against Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Dimple Yadav.

The MPs stood united outside the Parliament, holding placards that read, "Nari garima par prahar, nahi karenge kabhi bhi sweekar" (We will not tolerate any attack on women's dignity).

The protest comes in the wake of an FIR registered by the Lucknow Police against Maulana Sajid Rashidi for allegedly making inflammatory, objectionable, and misogynistic statements about the Mainpuri MP during a televised panel discussion.

In his controversial comment, Rashidi criticised Dimple Yadav for appearing in public without covering her head, adding a derogatory remark that triggered sharp reactions across party lines and among citizens.

The cleric's remarks were reportedly based on visuals from a Samajwadi Party meeting held at the Sansad Marg mosque in Delhi, where Dimple Yadav, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, and Kairana MP Iqra Hasan were present.

The comments have been widely condemned as anti-women and socially divisive. Additionally, an FIR has been registered against the Islamic cleric and police are investigating the matter.

As the NDA pressed for action on this issue, the INDIA bloc continued its own protest outside the Parliament, targeting the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive in Bihar.

Senior leaders, including SP chief and Dimple Yadav's husband Akhilesh Yadav, gathered at the Parliament's Makar Dwar, raising slogans and demanding an immediate halt to the revision process.

The SIR has stirred political controversy following reports that over 52 lakh names could be removed from the voters' list due to duplication, relocation, or death.

Opposition parties claim the exercise is selectively targeting marginalised and migrant communities, calling it a form of "institutional voter cleansing" designed to benefit the ruling NDA.

The Election Commission, however, has defended the process, stating that the revision is routine, transparent, and in line with established procedures. It has denied all allegations of political bias.

--IANS

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