Holding his ears, SP MP asks voters to forgive him for his mistakes

A parliamentarian from the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) has publicly sought forgiveness from voters of his constituency for his mistakes.

At a public function held on Sunday in Etawah - the home town of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav - Premdas Katheria surprised the crowd by holding his own ears in a gesture of admission of his mistakes and sought forgiveness from the voters.

"I know there have been many mistakes, I hope you will forgive me this time and vote for me again," he said while Shivpal Singh Yadav, the state's public works department minister and uncle of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, looked on.

Urging people to forgive the parliamentarian, Shivpal Singh Yadav said: "Everyone makes a mistake, now that he has accepted (mistake) and is seeking forgiveness by holding his own ears, forgive him."

After romping back to power in Uttar Pradesh in 2012 with 224 seats in a 403-member state assembly, the party is now facing a strong anti-incumbency factor, largely due to poor law and order situation and communal riots.