The Samajwadi Party (SP) on Wednesday faced the ire of both ruling and Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh after a video allegedly showing party spokesperson Rajkumar Bhati making derogatory remarks against the Brahmin community during a recent event went viral.

State BJP president and Union Minister Pankaj Chaudhary termed the comments “indecent and vulgar”. “This is not just the statement of one person but also testimony to the ‘DNA’ of the SP and its corrupt mentality of ‘divide and rule’,” he said.

Mr. Chaudhary alleged that while the SP has been trying to “fragment the social unity of U.P. for decades, the BJP works to respect all castes”. “We will never allow the plans of these disruptive forces to divide society to succeed.”

‘Real character of SP’

Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said “the real character and disgusting thinking of the SP has once again been exposed”.

“The indecent remarks are not only condemnable but also reflect the mentality of the SP,” he said.

State Congress chief Ajay Rai demanded strict disciplinary action against Mr. Bhati. “The abusive language used is highly condemnable. There may be ideological differences in politics, but insulting an entire society is not acceptable. Only apology will not suffice, strict disciplinary action should be taken immediately by [SP chief] Akhilesh Yadavji,” he said.

A case has been registered against the SP leader at the Kavinagar police station in Ghaziabad under Section 196(1) (promoting enmity between groups on grounds of religion) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The FIR was filed based on a complaint by BJP leader Ajay Sharma, who sought strict action against Mr. Bhati for allegedly making comments that “hurt religious sentiments”.

Mr. Bhati later offered an unconditional apology and claimed certain parts of his speech were selectively edited to spread “malicious propaganda”.