Days after being dropped from party's national executive, BJP Lok Sabha member Varun Gandhi on Sunday said that an attempt is being made to turn the Lakhimpur Kheri incident into a Hindu vs Sikh battle.
In a tweet Varun Gandhi said, "An attempt to turn Lakhimpur Kheri into a Hindu vs Sikh battle is being made. Not only is this an immoral & 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."
Eight persons including a journalist were killed during a farmers protest in Lakhimpur Kheri which turned violent on October 3.
On October 7, Varun and his mother, former union minister Maneka Gandhi were dropped from reconstituted BJP's national executive committee, party's top decision making body.
Earlier on October 7 sharing a video on Twitter, Varun Gandhi said, "The video is crystal clear. Protesters cannot be silenced through murder. There has to be accountability for the innocent blood of farmers that has been spilled and justice must be delivered before a message of arrogance and cruelty enters the minds of every farmer."
On October 5, he tweeted, "This video of vehicles deliberately running over farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri is enough to shake one's soul. Police must take cognisance of these videos, and immediately arrest the owners of these vehicles, those sitting in them, and others involved."
Varun had also written to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath seeking a Supreme Court monitored CBI probe into the Lakhimpur Kheri incident and that the accused be charged with murder under section 302 of Indian Penal Code (IPC).