LUCKNOW: Lucknow: In a controversial development, Samajwadi Party Kairana MLA Nahid Hasan was
caught on camera urging Muslims living in an area to boycott the shopkeepers and traders who were BJP supporters and refrain from buying anything from them.
A video going viral on social media on Monday, Hassan could be seen saying that Muslims buy materials from these shops and that's how these BJP loyalists were surviving.
Hassan urged Muslims of Kairana and nearby villages to stop buying anything from BJP supporters for few days.
"I request my people to boycott those traders who support the BJP at least for 10 days or even a month. Go elsewhere, even to Panipat in Haryana and other villages to buy goods in solidarity with your brothers but boycott these BJP people in the market. It will be better for all of us in the long run,” he said on camera.
Nahid Hassan added that they used to give business to the BJP supporters and it made them prosperous.
“Face some hardships. But boycott them only then things will improve. Their homes run because we buy things from them. And because of that, we are suffering,” he said.
As per sources, the SP MLAs diatribe was the result of the decision of Kairana municipal board to relocate small vendors from a particular market place to some other place.
When asked the SP MLA said that he appealed to “his people” to boycott BJP supporting traders to express his resentment to the exploitation of poor vendors.
“Babu Hukum Singh (late BJP MP) and I have also worked for the poor. I issued the appeal in support of poor and derived,” he said.
Kairana is a communally sensitive district and was in news a few years back owing to migration of Hindus. The then Akhilesh government had, however, denied any such planned migration.
Meanwhile, the BJP leaders condemned the SP MLA’s appeal as part of SP’s divisive politics.
“It reflects the mindset of SP leaders. It is nothing but their dirty politics to divide the society on religious lines,” said senior BJP leader and party spokesman Dr Chandra Mohan.
He called upon SP chief Akhilesh Yadav to come clear on the issue.
He reminded the SP leadership of Muzaffarnagar riots and Kairana exodus saying they had been terrorising the people of western UP for so long to run their illegal business.
“Now when the crack down is there, they are trying to disturb the peace,” said Dr Chandramohan.
Even coming out against his the MLA, his uncle Anwar Hassan claimed that whatever Nahid said was not in good faith.
“It shows his ill intentions. It seems to be an attempt to divide the society on communal lines. Hindus and Muslims have been living in with peace and affection in Kairana which is known for communal harmony. I assure you that the Muslims of Kairana will never let the harmony get disturbed here,” said Anwar Hassan.
The current population of Muslims in Kairana is believed to be above 60%. According to the 2001 census, the Hindu population in Kairana was 52%, while the rest were Muslims.