Lucknow, April 11 (IANS): Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav Friday came under heavy fire for his rape remark, made a day earlier at an election rally in Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad city.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister, who said rapists should not be sent to gallows as "young boys make such mistakes", was severely criticized by Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) senior leader Satish Chandra Mishra.

Mishra, a close aide of BSP chief Mayawati Friday said such remarks would end up encouraging criminals and rapists.

"Such a statement is deplorable, more as it comes from a man who has been the chief minister thrice and a former union defence minister," Mishra told IANS while seeking an apology from Yadav.

Smriti Irani, who is Bharatiya Janata Party's candidate from Amethi Lok Sabha constituency, also blasted Yadav for his remark. She said women like her would do everything to ensure that such people are not elected to parliament.

"Me and people with similar mentality will ensure that leaders with such mindset do not get into the Lok Sabha in this election," Irani told reporters in Amethi.

Member of the All-India Women Muslim Law Board Shaishta Ambar also slammed the SP chief for his statement and said people with such mindset needed to be taken head on and criticized.

Rashtriya Lok Dal senior leader and MP from Mathura Jayant Choudhary also blasted Yadav for his comment and expressed the fear that such callous and irresponsible remark would give rise to more criminal incidents like rape.