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The derogatory remarks made by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Nitin Gadkari against Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lau Prasad Yadav sparked off a storm of protest in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar on Thursday. In Patna, thousands of RJD supporters took out a protest and burnt the effigy of Gadkari. Outside the BJP office here, they raised slogans against Gadkari. "This effigy burning is the result of public anger, which has been shown in whole Bihar. From tomorrow (May 14), we will intensify the protest. Nitin Gadkari should not have any place in politics," said Ram Kripal Yadav, National Secretary, Rashtriya Janata Dal, (RJD). Similar scenes were witnessed in Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad city, where Samajwadi party workers turned violent and ransacked the BJP office. They too burnt Gadkari's effigy as a mark of protest over the derogatory remarks made by him against their leader Mulayam Singh Yadav. Moreover, the Samajwadi Party supporters burnt the BJP flag in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi city to show their ire. "A literate leader will not comment like this. It is shameful that a president of a renowned party has given such a comment. Today, this is the end of the BJP not only from UP, but also from the whole country," said Ashutosh Sinha, a leader of the youth wing of the Samajwadi Party in Varanasi. Gadkari has, however, apologised to both Mulayam Singh Yadav and Lau Prasad Yadav for using derogatory language against them. Gadkari's remarks came in the context of his criticism of the two leaders for their not backing the cut motions in the Parliament and how some people had helped the Congress. "I was only using a proverb. I only used this with reference to the CBI. They are respectable leaders. If they are hurt by my comments, I take back my words," said Gadkari.

Protests in UP and Bihar over Gadkari's remarks against Mulayam, Lalu