NEW DELHI: The Uttar Pradesh government has blamed the vulgarity and violence shown on television for the increase in cases of rape and violence against women.

After Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav’s statement, the party’s national general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav who is cousin of Mulayam Singh Yadav and uncle to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, blamed increase in crime against women to “vulgarity, obscenity and violence shown on the television channels.” He added: "Young boys also have easy access to magazines with pornographic material and pictures," he said.

When Mulayam Singh Yadav was asked about increase in violence against women he said, “You do your work and let us do our work.”

Earlier, even Akhilesh Singh Yadav had blamed the media. Both Mulayam Singh and Ram Gopal followed suit asking why the media was only highlighting criminal incidents of Uttar Pradesh but is ignoring other states. “But the media does not report that," he said, adding that "if you search on Google, you will find many rape incidents in other states, too."

The SP leadership had earlier blamed media for Muzaffarnagar riots.