Akhilesh has insulted Bulandshahr rape victims: BJP

New Delhi, Aug 4: BJP today accused UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav of rubbing salt into the wounds of Bulandshahr gangrape victims and insulting women with his "insensitive" remarks that opposition parties were "tutoring" them to serve their political interests.

BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said that instead of sacking his minister Azam Khan, Yadav chose to speak the language of Khan, who had also seen a "political conspiracy" in the crime.

"People expected Akhilesh Yadav to speak against Khan's remarks and take action against him. Instead, he politicised such an inhuman and horrific crime. He is practising a very low level politics by making such insensitive remarks," he said in a statement here.

Earlier today, on the sidelines of a programme in Lucknow the UP CM has said, "The incident is unfortunate. Action will be taken against those responsible. But the question is what are BJP and other (opposition) parties tutoring the victims and showing the way of politics".

Sharma reiterated the BJP's demand that the state government order a CBI probe into the incident, alleging that police was working to cover it up. Taking on the UP CM, Sharma alleged over 3,000 rapes and 12,000 murders had occurred under his rule and wondered if they were also driven by politics.

"He has not only insulted the victims and rubbed salt into their wounds but also insulted women in the state by speaking the language of Azam Khan. He should have instead sacked him," he added.

A political slugfest is on in Uttar Pradesh over the gangrape of a minor girl and her mother on the national highway in Bulandshahr district, with the state government coming in for severe bashing and leaders of various parties making a beeline for meeting the victims.

While a BJP delegation led by state unit president Keshav Prasad Maurya has already met the victims in Ghaziabad, a Congress team headed by its chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit met them today.

PTI