SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Tuesday said that a smear campaign was being run against the party's government in UP. Citing the example of Badaun rape case, he said it was blown out of proportion .

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"The CBI probed the case and found out that rape was not committed at all. They were cold-blooded murders by the victim's cousins for property," Mulayam said. "But even senior leaders like Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son Rahul rushed to Badaun and attacked the state government at the law and order front," he said.

Speaking at a function to distribute free e-rickshaws, the SP boss said that there were instances where only one person committed rape but the victim named four people merely to settle scores.

"Innocents must not be implicated and harassed. There are cases, where a victim has accused four brothers of raping her. It is not practical," he added. Mulayam said the rate of rape cases was lowest in UP as compared to other BJP-ruled states."Here the rate of rape cases is only 2% while in Madhya Pradesh it is 9 and in Rajasthan it is 7. In Delhi the situation is worse," he said.

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He also targeted his party leaders for their failure to counter campaigns to malign SP government . "Our own MLAs said they were helpless as the media was running a campaign. I will see to it how such MLAs get a ticket this time," he said. He called upon the party workers to inform the people about the schemes of the government. "You have only three months in hand. If you will talk about it later then people will not listen to you as they will see it as an election campaign," he said.

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Taking on the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, he said the disturbance at the borders was a part of a conspiracy to shift the attention of the people from other issues.

