Siddharth Nagar (Uttar Pradesh):  Hitting out at the Mayawati government for rising incidents of rape and murder in Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Mulayam Singh Yadav declared on Sunday that he would ensure government jobs to every rape victim if his party won the February 8 - March 3 assembly polls.

Addressing an election rally in this Uttar Pradesh district, Mulayam Singh said: "Once the Samajwadi Party government is in place in Uttar Pradesh, not only will we ensure that rapists and murderers do not go scot-free, but we will also ensure due respect to rape victims."

"While the government will give some monetary assistance to all such victims, the educated ones would be also offered jobs in the government."

Among other promises made for women in the SP manifesto, Mulayam Singh has also assured two sarees and a blanket to all poor women.

However, the assurance witnessed a sharp reaction from the Congress, whose spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi termed it "lamentable". "It appears that Mulayam Singh Yadav wants to admit that come what may, rapes will continue under his regime too in UP," Singhvi told media persons in Lucknow.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also criticised the statement. BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad said: "Mulayam Singh Yadav's remark speaks volumes of his insensitive attitude. Is monetary compensation any answer to a rape?"

Tags: Jobs for rape victims, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Rape, Rape victims, UP assembly elections, UP polls, UP rape