Lucknow: On a day when a rape survivor was set ablaze in UP's Unnao, BJP MP from the region, Sakshi Maharaj, took to Twitter to wish sexual assault-accused MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar on his birthday.

Maharaj on his official Twitter account @drsakshimaharaj posted a message wishing Sengar, a "very happy birthday". The tweeted message also carries an image of the BJP MP.

The BJP was under fire from opposition parties after the results of 2019 Lok Sabha Elections when he went on to meet the MLA in jail and allegedly thanked him for the help.

Maharaj's message came on a day when another rape victim from Unnao was set ablaze by her alleged rapists who were out on bail. The victim was rushed to Lucknow with 90% burns and was later airlifted to Delhi's Safdarjung hospital for further treatment. The tweet by Unnao BJP MP has now drawn ire from the opposition parties.

Speaking to News18, Samajwadi Party MLA from Unnao, Sunil Singh Sajan said, “The rape accused MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar is representative of Yogi Adityanath while BJP MP from Unnao Sakshi Maharaj is representative of Modi ji. I want to repeat what I had said yesterday that this is the real face of Yogi and Modi ji. Birthday wishes are being given to rape accused MLA by a man who represents Unnao parliamentary constituency at a time when a girl is set ablaze after rape, when the entire country was grief struck and was praying for the life of the victim, at such a time Unnao MP is wishing birthday to rape accused MLA proves that the entire BJP government is standing firmly with the rapists. We are going to meet the family members of Unnao victim today and will submit the report to our National President.”

On the other hand, Congress spokesperson Rajiv Tyagi also slammed the BJP and said, “The top leadership of the BJP is giving shelter to rapists and rape accused. We saw a similar thing in the case of Chinmayanand and now the acts of BJP MP from Unnao Sakshi Maharaj is clear indicator of BJP’s anti-women stand. When rape accused are being wished birthday by the people sitting in power then surely it will give a boost to the criminals.”

Sengar, a four-term MLA from Unnao's Bangarmau, his brother Jaideep and two of their henchmen have been in Tihar jail since last year on the charge of gang-raping a girl in 2017 when she was a minor.

The legislator, an influential Thakur leader in the region, was recently expelled from the Bharatiya Janata Party after the rape survivor, her lawyer were grievously injured and two of her aunts killed when a truck collided with their car on a Raebareli road. Sengar and his associates were charge-sheeted for criminal conspiracy in the "accident" case.