BJP Leader Calls Mayawati "Surpanakha", BSP Files Police Complaint

Lucknow: For the second time in less than a month, the mythical character Surpanakha, the evil sister of demon king Ravana from Ramayana, has found her way into political discourse.

On Sunday, at a rally in Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh, BJP minister Nand Gopal Gupta attacked Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, and said, "Lord Rama had told Surpanakha that your name in Kalyug will be Mayawati. Then you will rule Ayodhya, but even then you will not get married."

An upset BSP on Monday filed a police complaint against the BJP minister, calling the comments offensive.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was present on stage when Mr Gupta made the remarks. The BJP leaders were campaigning in Phulpur, where bypolls will be held on March 11, along with the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat. The results will be declared on March 14.

While the Gorakhpur seat was vacated by Mr Adityanath, his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya vacated the Phulpur seat after the UP Assembly elections last year.

Advertisement

Local BSP leaders in Gorakhpur have announced their support to Samajwadi Party candidates for the bypolls. Though Mayawati has ruled out an alliance with the Samajwadi Party, she said her party's workers would work for a candidate that could defeat the BJP.

In February, union minister Kiren Rijiju had shared a Facebook post mocking Congress parliamentarian Renuka Chowdhury's laughter after Prime Minister Narendra Modi joked about it in the Rajya Sabha.

Advertisement

Mr Rijiju's post had a video clip from the 1980s series "Ramayana", in which Surpanakha cackles loudly. Later in the video was a clip from the Rajya Sabha, when PM Modi took a dig at Ms Chowdhury for laughing loudly in the middle of his speech.