BJP MP makes U-turn on Kairana migration, says it's not a

Making a U-turn, BJP MP Hukum Singh today said the "migration" of Hindus from Kairana in western Uttar Pradesh was "not communal" in nature but had more to do with the law and order situation even as he claimed the number of families that had to flee can go up to 400-500.
"It is not about communal incidents... It is not about Hindus or Muslims," the Kairana MP told reporters here, adding it has more to do with the law and order situation.
"The list (of those who had to flee) will go on further, I believe. It can go up to 400-500. There is not one accused (who forced people to migrate), they are here in dozens," Singh said.

He had earlier said that from the names of the accused, "one can grasp who are these people", hinting at involvement of members of the Muslim community.
The MP had earlier released a list of 346 families who had been forced to flee the town, which has 85 per cent Muslim population. Kairana is in Shamli district which witnessed communal riots in 2013.
Today, Singh released another list of 63 Hindu families and claimed that they had to flee Kandhla town in Shamli district. "These Hindu families have left under duress," he claimed.

When asked that some Muslim families too have left the area, he said, "Others have gone for their (own) purposes."

Shamli District Magistrate Sujeet Kumar, however, ruled out any communal and law and order issues behind some people leaving the area.
"Till now we have investigated the list of 119 families. Around 10-15 families, mentioned in the list, still live in Kairana and around 68 families have migrated from the area 10-15 years ago. They moved out because of economic reasons. Till now, we have not found any case where there has been a law and order problem.
"There is no communal activity, the Karaina town has always been peaceful... During Babri Masjid demolition in 1992, the area remained peaceful, and even during Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013, people here sent a strong message of brotherhood," Kumar said.

BJP president Amit Shah, in his address to the National
Executive on Sunday, had said, "The migration happening in Kairana due to violence is a matter of serious concern. There is an atmosphere of violence. The lack of development and the lack of governance in the largest state of India, that is Uttar Pradesh, is becoming a matter of serious concern."
The party also set up a committee which will go to Kairana and study the situation.
UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav accused BJP leaders of being "dishonest" and "lying" on the issue and said he would like to see "better work" from the party.

"BJP is alleging that the Samajwadi Party government forced the people to flee from Kairana... BJP can be dishonest to this extent," Yadav told reporters yesterday.
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Meanwhile, BJP's state unit chief Keshav Maurya came down heavily on Akhilesh Yadav over the issue, saying he has "lost the moral right" to continue as the Chief Minister following his inability to reign in those responsible for the turmoil in the western town of the state.
"Tomorrow, a seven-member committee set up as per directions of party president Amit Shah will leave for the affected town to take stock of the situation there. The committee will be led by our legislature party leader in the state assembly Suresh Khanna," he told reporters in Allahabad.

"We cannot help saying that the Chief Minister of the state has lost his moral right to continue on account of his failure to take effective action", he said.
"Our party MP from Kairana Hukum Singh has for long been raising the issue on every possible forum. Now, after the seven-member team submits its report, further course of action on this burning issue will be decided," he added.
Claiming that the rally addressed here yesterday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here was "historic and unprecedented in terms of the turn-out", Maurya said, "Earlier we were aiming at winning at least 265 seats in the 403-strong UP assembly. Now we are confident of crossing 300 and uprooting the SP and the BSP, both of which are in a covert and unholy alliance even though both parties claim to be sworn enemies".

The BJP leader, however declined to divulge details of a meeting of the party's organisational secretaries, which was reportedly attended by Shah before he left the city this afternoon, saying, "It was a meeting strictly meant for those involved in the organisation."
He also rubbished reports that a meeting of party MPs from UP yesterday, in which Modi was also present, was skipped by Varun Gandhi on account of his unhappiness over BJP not projecting him as its face for the assembly polls due next year.
"There were at least 13 MPs out of more than 70 from the state, who could not take part in the meeting. None of them was absent because of any resentment. The meeting was attended by not just the Prime Minister but a number of Union ministers as well," Maurya said.

Please do not try to read too much into the inability of a few who could not be there," he said.