[Video]Election shocker: Why is Mulayam Singh Yadav 'defending' rapes?

New Delhi, April 10: Elections fever is on and at a time where parties are putting women security at the top of their manifesto points,

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's comment took everybody by storm.

Yadav, on Thursday, said that he does not support the death sentence for rape convicts. He justified his view by saying that boys make mistakes.

He said. "Rape ke liye phaansi dena galat hai. Ladkon se galti ho jaati hai, hum satta mein aaye to kanoon mein badlav karenge." (It is wrong to give death sentence for rape. Boys make mistakes. If we come to power, we will change the law.)

This comes after three men found guilty of gang-raping two women in the abandoned Shakti Mills in Mumbai last year were given death sentence by a court recently.

The men were convicted under a new legal provision (Sec 370 E of the IPC) that punishes repeat offenders in rape cases with a life term or death sentence.

AAP leader Medha Patkar said that though rape is not a small crime and cannot be forgiven, she too is against death penalty.

Purnima Advani, Chairperson for the National Commission for Women, said that this kind of anti-women mindset cannot be tolerated at any cost from leaders of this country.

This is not the first time that Mulayam Singh has given out a controversial statement against rape victims. Earlier last year, instead of promising tough action against rapists - Mulayam Singh Yadav said his party will provide jobs to rape victims.

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