Members of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) staged a protest within the Parliament premises on Monday, strongly condemning the derogatory remarks made by Islamic cleric Maulana Sajid Rashidi against Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Dimple Yadav.
Standing together outside Parliament, the MPs held placards that read, “Nari garima par prahar, nahi karenge kabhi bhi sweekar” (We will not tolerate any attack on women’s dignity).
The protest comes after the Lucknow Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Maulana Sajid Rashidi for allegedly making inflammatory, objectionable and misogynistic statements about the Mainpuri MP during a televised panel discussion.
In his controversial comments, Rashidi criticised Dimple Yadav for appearing in public without covering her head, adding a derogatory remark that has sparked sharp reactions across party lines and among citizens.
The cleric’s remarks were reportedly based on visuals from a Samajwadi Party meeting held at the Sansad Marg mosque in Delhi, where Dimple Yadav, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and Kairana MP Iqra Hasan were present.
The comments have been widely condemned as anti-women and socially divisive. An FIR has been filed against the Islamic cleric and police investigations are underway.
While the NDA pressed for swift action on the matter, the INDIA bloc continued its separate protest outside Parliament, targeting the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive in Bihar.
Senior leaders, including SP chief and Dimple Yadav’s husband Akhilesh Yadav, gathered at Parliament’s Makar Dwar, raising slogans and demanding an immediate halt to the revision exercise.
The SIR has sparked political controversy amid reports that over 61 lakh names could be removed from the electoral roll due to duplication, relocation or death.
Opposition parties allege the exercise selectively targets marginalised and migrant communities, calling it a form of “institutional voter cleansing” designed to benefit the ruling NDA.
The Election Commission has defended the drive, maintaining that the revision is routine, transparent and conducted in line with established procedures. It has denied all allegations of political bias.
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