BJP felicitates all UP members accused in Muzaffarnagar riots

Despite controversy over news that the Bharatiya Janata Party would honour Sangeet Som and Suresh Rana, the two MLAs arrested for allegedly inciting riots in Muzaffarnagar earlier this year, the ‘Human Rights Cell’ of the Uttar Pradesh BJP has gone ahead and felicitated the duo as well as 34 others who were detained in connection with the communal conflagration in UP.

A report in The Indian Express said the party gave the arrested leaders and workers who had been detained for over two hours a letter of appreciation to recognise their “struggle against the state government during the riots and the sacrifice they made and got arrested for the cause of safety of mata, bahen and betian (mother, sister and daughter) as well as Indian culture”.

The chief guest at the function, which was held in Muzaffarnagar, was MLA Hukum Singh, who is himself named in one of the cases pertaining to inciteful speeches made in the run-up to the Muzaffarnagar riots. Singh reportedly said the objective of the function was to mobilise party workers ahead of the elections.

Meanwhile, a proposed felicitation of the duo at a rally in Agra is still on the cards, said reports. The two will share the dais with Modi at the rally later this week.

Other political parties have criticised the decision, calling it the true face of the BJP.

The Congress “deplored the BJP’s decision”, said a report in the Times of India. Western UP could see more polarisation due to this, said AICC general secretary Madhusudan Mistry. Samajwadi Party spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said the BJP’s agenda was to polarise votes.