Attempt to turn Lakhimpur Kheri incident into ‘Hindu vs Sikh battle’: Varun Gandhi

New Delhi: Days after being dropped from the BJP’s national executive, the top decision-making body of the party, Varun Gandhi has said that an attempt is being made to turn the violence in the Lakhimpur Kheri district into a “Hindu vs Sikh battle”.

In a tweet Sunday, Gandhi said, “An attempt to turn #LakhimpurKheri into a Hindu vs Sikh battle is being made. Not only is this an immoral & false narrative, it is dangerous to create these fault-lines & reopen wounds that have taken a generation to heal.We must not put petty political gains above national unity”.

This is not the first time Gandhi has commented on the violence that took place in Lakhimpur Kheri on 4 October. A convoy of three SUVs had mowed down protesting farmers in the district, killing four and triggering violence that led to the deaths of four more people.

On 7 October, Gandhi had posted a video from Lakhimpur Kheri that had gone viral on Twitter and said, “The video is crystal clear. Protestors cannot be silenced through murder. There has to be accountability for the innocent blood of farmers that has been spilled and justice must be delivered before a message of arrogance and cruelty enters the minds of every farmer.”

Gandhi and his mother Maneka Gandhi were removed from the BJP’s 80-member national executive Thursday.

Gandhi is one of the few BJP MPs who has been vocal in his support to the farmers not only in Lakhimpur Kheri, but also in their demand to increase sugarcane prices. He had urged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to increase the sugarcane price to Rs 400 per quintal.

In an earlier tweet, Gandhi had described protesting farmers gathered in Muzzaffarnagar for a mahapanchyat as “our own flesh and blood” and stressed the need to “understand their pain” and re-engage with them.

According to sources, he has been expressing his unhappiness with the party over being “ignored” for quite some time and for also not finding a place in the recent Cabinet reshuffle.

Many in the party also attributed his outburst over his exclusion in the union cabinet in July.

“This is not the first time, he has been making such statements for sometime now. His being dropped form the executive was the final blow it seems and he may take some drastic step,” said a senior BJP leader.

Gandhi’s support for the agitation comes months before the crucial Uttar Pradesh elections where the BJP is hoping for a comeback in the backdrop of agitations by farmer over three controversial farm laws. (Agencies)