“An attempt to turn #LakhimpurKheri 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 & reopen wounds that have taken a generation to heal. We must not put petty political gains above national unity,” Gandhi, MP from Pilibhit tweeted on Sunday.

Talking to The Indian Express, Varun Gandhi Sunday 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.

Last week, Varun Gandhi and Maneka Gandhi were dropped from BJP’s new national executive committee. Varun’s exclusion came hours after he condemned the incident in Lakhimpur Kheri, in which a Union Minister’s convoy allegedly ran over and killed four protesting farmers. Gandhi had also written to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath seeking the registration of a murder case against those involved in the death of four farmers in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident.

Gandhi has been critical of the happenings in Lakhimpur Kheri, condemning those involved in the death of farmers and urging the government to be patient and restrained in its approach.

Reacting to some BJP leaders linking the violence in Lakhimpur Kheri to “ Khalistanis” Gandhi, in a brief interview to The Indian Express, had cautioned that using “pejorative and demeaning” language against the “ struggling farmers” is “unfair and cruel” and that it could lead to “further reaction among the people who at the moment are very peaceful.” “This is extremely unfortunate and it is also dangerous for the country. Because instead of understanding what the struggling farmers are saying we cannot start using pejorative language for them,” Gandhi told The Indian Express.

Earlier, Varun had also come out in support of the farmers who have been protesting against the contentious farm laws. He wrote to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath seeking relief measures for the distressed and agitating farmers.