Don't associate Lakhimpur incident with Khalistanis: Varun Gandhi

New Delhi: BJP MP Varun Gandhi has spoken out against UP home minister Ajay Mishra's statement that Khalistani outfits were behind the spate of violence in Lakhimpur Kheri last week which left several dead and others injured as an SUV drove into the crowd of protesting farmers. Ajay Mishra's son Ajay Mishra has been arrested on charges of driving the SUV deliberately into the crowd.

"An attempt to turn #LakhimpurKheri into a Hindu vs Sikh battle is being made. Not only is this an immoral & false narrative, but it is also 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," the MP tweeted.

While speaking to reporters on Sunday, Varun Gandhi said that the violence in UP was the cruel treatment of farmers by a local arrogant elite rather than a religious issue. It was an insult to Indian farmers to insinuate that they had any association with Khalistanis.

He has written to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, asking for a CBI probe and ₹ 1 crore compensation for the families of the dead farmers. Varun Gandhi was recently dropped from the BJP national executive on Thursday. The 41-year-old commented he had not attended a single meeting of the national executive in five years. He remains one of the few BJP leaders to have spoken out openly about the issue.