Ram Babu Yadav is a Samajwadi Party leader from Aurraiya. He is about 71 years old and enjoys a ministerial position in the Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh.
He has been caught on tape asking a female party worker to get him “chooza” (literally meaning chicks) in the age group of 18-20. The politician obviously refers to young girls as “chooza”.
In a conversation being aired on a local TV channel, Mr Yadav can be heard asking a female party worker Madhu Pandey (now expelled) to make “vyavashtha” (arrangement) for him.
Madhu Pandey says that every time she visits him, she brings along a woman to which Yadav says, “Mahila nahin, chooza lao. Chooza janti ho — yahi 18 se 20 saal ki (Bring chicks not a woman. Do you know chicks, between 18 to 20 years).” Ms Madhu Pandey played the recorded conversation before journalists in Aurraiya and claimed that she was being victimised by Mr Yadav who had even slapped her at a meeting of the party.
“When I raised certain issues against him, he got me expelled from the party. He has been exploiting me and others for several years now but no one believes us. That is why I recorded this conversation,” she said.
Ms Madhu Pandey has now approached the district magistrate in Aurraiya, seeking security for herself and her family members. The district magistrate said that he was investigating the matter and would take necessary action.
Meanwhile, Mr Ram Babu Yadav said that this was a conspiracy by his rivals to malign his image.
“I am 71 years old, how can I say such things? I do not know what “chooza” is,” he told reporters. However, Mr Ram Babu Yadav remained tight-lipped when asked whether he was ready to get his voice samples tested to prove that the voice in the conversation was not his.