Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Varun Gandhi, who was recently dropped from the party's national executive, alleged that attempts were being made to turn the Lakhimpur Kheri issue into a 'Hindu vs Sikh battle'.
"Not only is this an immoral and false narrative, it is dangerous to create these fault-lines and reopen wounds that have taken a generation to heal. We must not put petty political gains above national unity," he wrote on Twitter.
His words are being interpreted as a response to Union Minister Ajay Misra's accusation that Khalistanis orchestrated the events in Lakhimpur that lead to the death of eight people, including farmers and two BJP workers.
The minister's son Ashish Misra who has been accused of mowing down farmers with his vehicle was arrested earlier on Saturday, 9 October, after hours of interrogation by the Special Investigation Team.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Gandhi also said that the “struggle for justice in Lakhimpur is about the cruel massacre in the face of an arrogant local power elite. It has no religious connotations."
"To use the word Khalistani liberally to describe the protesting farmers was not only an insult to the generations of these proud sons, but it is also extremely dangerous for our national unity if this provokes the wrong kind of reaction,” he added.
Gandhi has vocally been in support of the farmers during their ongoing protest against the Union government's contentious farm laws.
He was also the only BJP leader to raise concerns about the events in Lakhimpur.
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