Hitting out at the BJP, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said that the party was spreading lies regarding the exodus of Hindus from Kairana as it wanted to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere before Assembly elections.
"Kairana is a well thought-out strategy of the BJP leaders. The party wants to divide the society on communal lines and has therefore come up with a new idea of making of 'Kashmir in Kairana'. The allegation of Hindu exodus from the area is baseless," Yadav told reporters at the sidelines of a function in lucknow on Tuesday.
Yadav said that a senior BJP MP stoked the row by coming up with a list of Hindus who left Kairana because of machination by a section of the society which was found to be fabricated. "It has been proved time and again that some people had left Kairana almost a decade back on thgeir own for greener pastures," said he.
"The list contains names of people who had died some years back. So, there is a big question mark on the veracity of the list. When the list is fabricated, why are questions being asked about Kairana being transformed into Kashmir," Yadav querried and suggested the electronic media to downplay it.
The CM said that the BJP had played a similar trick with Muzaffarnagar before the lok Sabha polls. "Now the truth is out and the people know who were the people behind Muzaffarnagar.
With Assembly elections nearing, the BJP is trying to replicate the Muzaffarnagar formula in Kairana," he said.
Taking a jibe at the BJP leaders, Yadav said that they have taken a dip in holy Sangam to get rid of their sins (`paap) but failed to cleanse their distorted mentality which plans on dividing the society.
"When the BJP failed to match us on the development work in all sectors, they are out to divide the society on religious lines," he said. later the BJP reacted sharply to the Chief Minister’s tirade saying that the state government should clear the air on the controversial issue and the CM was only trying to politicize it.
BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said that the Shamli district administration has agreed that people have left Kairana because of extortion.
"This is a big law and order issue. The CM should not take it lightly and refrain from giving it a political hue," said Pathak in a statement issued in lucknow.
"The CM says that BJP leaders were telling a lie. If that’s so, what is the truth IJ The CM should tell the truth to the people. Why he is silent on the question of mass exodus of people from KairanaIJ" Pathak querried.