Meerut: Barred by the local administration to undertake his week-long march across western UP, controversial BJP MLA Sangeet Som today gave the Akhilesh Yadav-led state government a 15-day ultimatum to repatriate the Hindu families who had migrated from Kairana, failing which "we will be forced to come on the streets".
The Sardhana MLA said that he will not let the state turn into Kashmir and issued a 15-day ultimatum to the Samajwadi Party government to repatriate families who have migrated from Kairana.
"I will stand with the people of Uttar Pradesh and fight for their rights. If people are migrating from Kairana, we will make all efforts to bring them back. We will not let UP become Kashmir,” the firebrand leader said.
Som's ‘Paidal Nirbhay Yatra’ was stopped by the local administration citing imposition of Sector 144 in the region.
Speaking to media, Som said that he was suspending his march (which began from Meerut and was scheduled to culminate at Kairana village of Shamli district) as of now because senior officials had urged him and hundreds of his supporters to end the yatra citing law and order situation.
"Senior officials have stopped us here saying Sec 144 is imposed here on, so we are stopping our yatra here. We have given a 15-days notice to state government to bring back families who've migrated or we'll be forced to come on streets," Som added.
Som further said that no order has been conveyed to him by the party or the administration regarding holding the march.
"No one, either from the administration or the party has asked me not to hold the march. I will follow the orders of the party. The administration will do their work and we will do our work. I'm a BJP worker and I work in that capacity," he said, adding that "in a democracy, everyone has the right to keep forward their point and hold a march. We will work in accordance with the law."
The administration has alleged that Som’s march may fan communal tensions in the region which had in 2013 witnessed riots.
The district administration officials said that they have finished the verification of the list of families given by BJP MP Hukum Singh which allegedly fled Kairana due to communal tensions. As per the report, 67 of the 346 families left Kairana 10 years ago and 179 families left the place 4-5 years ago. 73 people who left the town over last 3 years have migrated due to personal reasons. 16 of those mentioned in the list are already dead and families of 3 of them still live in Kairana. Seven names have appeared twice in the list given by Hukum Singh.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party leader Atul Pradhan has also announced to hold 'Sadbhavana Yatra', which would begin from Meerut and culminate at Kairana. However, the district administration has refused to give permission for this march as well.
