The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) MPs protested 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. The MPs stood united outside the Parliament, holding 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 in the wake of an FIR registered by the Lucknow Police against Maulana Sajid Rashidi for allegedly making inflammatory, objectionable, and misogynistic statements about the Mainpuri MP during a televised panel discussion. In his controversial comment, Rashidi criticised Dimple Yadav for appearing in public without covering her head, adding a derogatory remark that triggered 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. Additionally, an FIR has been registered against the Islamic cleric and police are investigating the matter.
BJP MPs, led by Bansuri Swaraj, also staged a protest inside the Parliament complex on Sunday, condemning what they called "misogynistic and inflammatory" remarks made by Maulana Sajid Rashidi against Dimple Yadav. NDA lawmakers held placards reading: “Nari garima par prahar, nahi karenge kabhi bhi sweekar”, a message against attacks on women's dignity. MPs from across the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) participated in the protest. Holding placards, they called Rashidi's comment an “insult to the women's community”, saying the country would not tolerate such remarks.
Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) MP Shambhavi Choudhary said that for the NDA, “the honour and prestige of women is of utmost priority”. Bansuri Swaraj directly questioned SP chief Akhilesh Yadav's silence on the issue, asking why he had not come forward to defend his wife. She called it a clear sign of "appeasement politics" and demanded that the Samajwadi Party take accountability for failing to respond to the cleric's remarks.
The controversy began after SP MPs, including Akhilesh and Dimple Yadav, visited the Parliament Street mosque along with party MPs Iqra Hasan and Mohibullah Nadvi. While the SP maintained it was a social visit, BJP leaders and some Muslim clerics claimed it violated religious norms. BJP Minority Morcha head Jamal Siddiqui criticised Dimple Yadav for entering the mosque without covering her head, alleging that her attire was inappropriate for the setting and had disrespected Islamic traditions. Maulana Mufti Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi, president of the All India Muslim Jamaat, also demanded that both Dimple and Nadvi issue public apologies for what he called a politicisation of a religious place.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has questioned the silence of SP Supremo Akhilesh Yadav on the matter, with the party asking, "is a Muslim vote bank above your wife's honour?". Protesters are holding placards that read "Mahila Viroji Maan Sikta Nahi Sahenge Nahi Sahenge" and raising slogans against the insult of a woman Member of Parliament.
