A nine-member BJP team today visited this village in Uttar Pradesh to review the situation over alleged migration of Hindus that has set off a political slugfest even as Congress said the BJP leadership has been “totally exposed” after a party MP’s U-turn on the issue.
The fact-finding team was announced by BJP president Amit Shah on Monday during the course of its national executive meeting in Allahabad after BJP > MP Hukum Singh alleged there was a communal angle to the ‘migration’ from Kairana village in Shamli district in UP where elections are due next year.
Mr. Singh, who had recently alleged that several Hindu families have been forced to migrate from Kairana following atrocities from “one particular community”, > did a volte face yesterday, saying that it was “not communal” in nature but had more to do with the law and order situation.
The team met some families of Hindus who had allegedly migrated, said Suresh Rana a BJP MLA, adding it also had an interaction with officials of the district administration.
“We have been raising the same issue in Vidhan Sabha for three years now. We only talk about migration when the atmosphere of fear is at its peak. Had the CM of UP wanted, he could have controlled the situation long back,” Mr.Rana said, adding a report will be sent to the party leadership.
Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav should visit Kairana village and assess the situation rather than accusing BJP of lying on this “sensitive matter”, he added. The team was led by Suresh Khanna, BJP’s legislature party leader in UP assembly.
Besides Mr. Khanna, the other members of the delegation included Baghpat MP Satpal Singh, Saharanpur MP RLP Sharma, Bulandshahr MP Bhola Singh, Aligarh MP Satish Gautam, Aonla MP Dharmendra Kashyap and former UP DGP Brij Lal.
“There has been mass exodus(from Kairana) due to gunda raj” of the SP government,” Mr.Sharma alleged.
Congress’s in-charge of UP Ghulam Nabi Azad said the BJP leadership stood “totally exposed” on how they wanted to exploit the situation and tell the people that the alleged migration is on religious lines while it was for economic reasons.
“Exactly that is what we are afraid of because they(BJP) are having an eye on assembly elections. They might even turn small issues into big issues. They will try to polarise the situation. This is what people in UP should be cautious about,” he added.
JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav cautioned against any attempts to foment communal tension ahead of the assembly polls.
“People from Kairana did come to me. They told me that what all they(BJP) are saying is a lie. It is nice that they (BJP)have taken a U-turn from what they have earlier said. Soon there will be elections in UP, there should not be any tension on communal divide,” he said.
Shamli District Magistrate Sujeet Kumar has already ruled out any communal and law and order issues behind some people leaving the area.
“[The] party president has set up a committee, which will go there and study the situation. Such a migration is not good for democracy. The party is sensitive about it and proper steps will be taken after the report comes,” senior BJP leader and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Monday, a Shah expressed serious concern over “migration” from Kairana area in Shamli district, which had witnessed communal riots in 2013.
