The Samajwadi Party (SP) on Wednesday escalated its protest against Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta after her alleged derogatory remarks against SP national president Akhilesh Yadav. The party’s legal wing, Samajwadi Adhivakta Sabha, has now served a legal notice on the Delhi CM, terming her comment defamatory and unbecoming of someone holding a constitutional office.
The controversy erupted following a television interview in which CM Rekha Gupta reportedly used an “objectionable and derogatory” term for Akhilesh Yadav, the former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and current Member of Parliament. Reacting sharply, Yadav had earlier played a clip of the remark at a press conference and questioned the appropriateness of such language from a sitting chief minister. “Where is she drawing the confidence from to speak like this?” he had asked.
Taking the issue further, Krishna Kanhaiya Pal, National President of the Samajwadi Adhivakta Sabha, issued a legal notice to Rekha Gupta. “The comment was very personal and defamatory. I had a moral duty and legal obligation to oppose that,” said Pal. He added that the remark was not only an attack on an individual but an attempt to tarnish the image of a former chief minister. “It is an irresponsible comment, made by a person occupying a constitutional post like chief minister of a state,” he stated.
On Tuesday, members of the SP’s women’s wing, the Mahila Sabha, held a silent protest at Gandhi Pratima in Lucknow’s Hazratganj area, wearing black bands to express their opposition to the remark. Among those present were SP Mahila Sabha national president Juhie Singh, along with leaders Payal Kinnar, Sumaiya Rana, Bina Rawat, Suman Yadav, and Vandana Chaturvedi.
Juhie Singh demanded an apology or resignation from the Delhi CM. “She should be ashamed of it. She should also come out of this arrogance and apologise for it or resign from the post. She is not fit to remain the chief minister of Delhi,” Singh said.
Meanwhile, the protest drew the attention of local authorities. On Wednesday, Lucknow police lodged an FIR against six protestors, including prominent SP Mahila Sabha leaders, and 25 unidentified persons for staging a demonstration without administrative permission.
