Samajwadi Party's leaders are trying to outdo each other by making one shocking statement after the other. After his boss Mulayam Singh Yadav's comment that death penalty for rape is unfair, Maharashtra unit chief Abu Azmi has now said women, including rape victims, who have sex outside marriage should be hanged.

On Thursday, Mulayam had said it was unfair to award death penalty to rapists for their 'mistakes' at a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad.

Handing death sentence for rape is not fair... boys make mistakes... there will be changes in the law if we come to power," an ANI tweet quoted Mulayam as saying.

Azmi, told Mid-day when asked for a solution to the problem of rapes: "Any woman if, whether married or unmarried, goes along with a man, with or without her consent, should be hanged.

Both should be hanged. It shouldn't be allowed even if a woman goes by consent."

"Rape is punishable by hanging in Islam. But here, nothing happens to women, only to men. Even the woman is guilty. Girls complain when someone touches them, and even when someone doesn't touch them. It becomes a problem then... If rape happens with or without consent, it should be punished as prescribed in Islam."

He went on to say that the solution to rape was hanging both the man and woman.

He also defended his party chief by saying Mulayam respects women.