Mahant Adityanath
BJP MP from Gorakhpur, Mahant Adityanath, on Wednesday demanded Central intervention in Uttar Pradesh alleging that there was a large-scale exodus of members of the majority community from certain areas of the State due to the “collapse” of law and order there.
Other BJP MPs, Kunwar Pushpendra Singh, Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma, Bhairon Prasad Mishra and Sharad Tripathi, associated with Mr. Adityanath on the same issue in the Lok Sabha.
‘A matter of concern’
“Whether it is the situation in Shamli, or of Babri Mandi in Aligarh or Kairana and Muzaffarnagar, the situation of large-scale exodus of Hindus from these areas is a matter of concern and is reminiscent of the situation that had prevailed in the Kashmir Valley between 1980-90,” he said, alluding to the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir Valley.
“The administration of Uttar Pradesh is inert on this issue and has taken on a cloak of silence. Ordinary people are facing the brunt of this harassment. In every district people of the Hindu community are being intimidated into leaving,” he said. “I want to request the Central government to intervene in this matter at the earliest,” he added.
The BJP had raised this issue during its national executive in Allahabad last month and party chief Amit Shah had made this a focus issue not only in his presidential address at the meet but also sent party leaders to Kairana in western Uttar Pradesh to investigate the matter.
Despite the State government’s report that no such exodus was in fact taking place, the BJP has maintained that there is a case of mass exodus of Hindus from this area.