Uttar Pradesh: President of the All India Imam Association (AIIA), Maulana Sajid Rashidi from Uttar Pradesh, who sparked controversy with his derogatory remarks against Samajwadi Party MP and Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple Yadav, on Monday defended his statement, saying that he did not say anything objectionable.
"It is not that bad a word. Here if we see girls going around with their head uncovered, we tell them, Cover your head. Why are you roaming naked," Rashidi said speaking to NDTV.
Justifying his statement he said, "I have not said anything so objectionable. If you zoom into the photo, you can seen her back and neck," he said when asked whether he stands by his statement.
How The Controversy Started?
Akhilesh and Dimple Yadav had visited a mosque last month and the cleric had made the comment after watching photos from the occasion.
During a TV debate, the cleric referenced an image from her visit and said, “Look at her (Dimple Yadav’s) back. It is naked.” The comment, which quickly spread across social media platforms, was widely condemned as offensive and misogynistic.
NDA Protests Against Cleric
Earlier in the day, NDA MPs staged a protest on Parliament premises against the cleric’s misogynistic comment against the Samajwadi Party MP, calling it “shameful, offensive and unacceptable.”
Reacting to the protests, Dimple Yadav said that instead of protesting over the misogynistic remark made against her, BJP leaders should have spoken out on the Manipur incident.
"It's good what is happening, it is good that FIR was registered. It would have been better if they would have protested when the incidents against women happened in Manipur. After Operation Sindoor, BJP leaders made indecent remark against our Armed Forces officer, it would have been better if they had stood against it," Yadav was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
