'Draupadi of Rampur Being Disrobed': Sushma Swaraj Asks Mulayam to End Silence on Azam Khan Remark

Union minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday drew a comparison between mythological character Bhishma Pitahmah and Samajwadi Party (SP) founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, asking him to respond to the ‘khaki underwear’ comment by his party leader Azam Khan against film actor and Rampur BJP candidate Jaya Prada.

Referring to Draupadi’s cheer-haran (disrobing), Swaraj appealed to Mulayam to break his silence on the issue. Taking to Twitter, she wrote: “Mulayam Bhai - You are the father figure of Samajwadi Party. In front of you, Draupadi is being disrobed in Rampur. Do not make the mistake of being silent like Bhishma@yadavakhilesh Smt.Jaya Bhaduri, Mrs.Dimple Yadav.”

Khan, who stoked a controversy with his sexist jibe against Jaya Prada, has said his remarks were taken out of context and if proven guilty, he would not contest elections. In fresh trouble for Khan, an FIR was registered against him for his comments.

Khan, who faces Jaya Prada in Rampur, said at an election rally on Sunday: “...I want to ask you, should politics stoop so low? 10 years the person sucked the blood of Rampur, I held that person's finger and brought the person to Rampur. I made her familiar with the streets of Rampur. I didn't let anyone touch her. No dirty words were used. You made the person your representative for 10 years. But what is the difference between you and me. Rampur waalon , Hindustan waalon, uski asliyat samajhne main aapko 17 baras lag gaye (understanding the person's real face you took 17 years). I realised in 17 days, that the underwear beneath is of the khakhi colour.”

The statement soon snowballed into a political controversy, with several leaders criticising Khan. National Commission for Women Chairperson Rekha Sharma termed Khan's below-the-belt remarks against Jaya Prada “extremely disgraceful” and sent him a show cause notice to him.

The SP leader in his defence said he had not named anyone and his comments were in reference to a man who once said he had brought 150 rifles with him and would shoot Azam dead. He also accused the media of misinterpreting his comments, saying the media was not fond of him and had caused damage to the country.