Mayawati said her party is grateful for Akhilesh Yadav's support. (FILE)
Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday demanded a defamation case be filed against Uttar Pradesh BJP MLA Rajesh Chaudhary for making 'derisive and derogatory' remarks against Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati.
The Samajwadi Party leader shared a video from a news channel in which the BJP MLA could be heard saying, "While there is no doubt that Mayawati has been the Chief Minister of UP for four times, it was the BJP which made her the Chief Minister for the first time. We made that mistake."
Mr Chaudhary also called Mayawati "the most corrupt Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh".
Taking strong objection to the BJP MLA's remarks against the BSP supremo, Akhilesh Yadav said, "Political differences have their place, but no one has the right to tarnish her dignity as a woman."
Terming Mr Chaudhary's comments baseless and highly objectionable, Akhilesh Yadav demanded to initiate legal action against the BJP legislator from Mant Assembly constituency.
"The BJP is saying that they made a mistake by making her the Chief Minister... This is also an insult to the public opinion in a democratic country. To baselessly accuse her of being the most corrupt Chief Minister is extremely objectionable," the SP chief said.
"A defamation case should be filed against the BJP MLA for his statement made publicly. By giving shelter to such MLAs, the BJP is hurting the dignity of women. If the BJP does not take immediate disciplinary action against such leaders, it should be understood that this was not the personal opinion of any MLA, but that of the entire BJP," Akhilesh Yadav claimed.
Meanwhile, the ‘unexpected' support from the SP chief invited words of praise and admiration from Mayawati, giving rise to speculation of a thaw in the ‘Bua-Bhatija' ties.
In a post on X thanking Akhilesh Yadav for voicing his support, Mayawati said, "The SP chief has responded to the false allegations levelled by the BJP MLA from Mathura district, acknowledging the truth about the BSP chief's honesty. The party is grateful for this."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)