Kasganj was a reaction to yatra route blockade: Minister Suresh Khanna

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Khanna told the assembly on Friday that Kasganj violence was a reaction to “blockade on the route of tiranga yatra”.
This is the first time that the BJP government claimed that the communal violence could have been avoided, had those who blocked the march of the ‘tiranga yatra’ on the Republic Day given way to the procession.
When the Opposition was demanding a discussion on the violence, Khanna, who was leading the treasury bench in the absence of chief minister Yogi Adityanath, said blockade by Republic Day revellers at the Baddu Crossing in Kasganj was illegal as Section 144 had been imposed.
Khanna said that for more than 25 years, a ‘tiranga yatra’ had been taken out by locals every year on Republic Day, while those who had gathered at the Baddu crossing had no such tradition.
‘Tiranga yatra should have been allowed’
Tiranga yatra’ should have been allowed by the crowd to pass through. But that did not happen, leading to clashes. The violence was a reaction to an action — blocking of the passage of the procession while police and administrative officials were preoccupied with Republic Day functions,” Khanna said, drawing protests from the Opposition.
Leader of Opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary asked how the district administration allowed hundreds of bikes, with minimum three youths on each bike, carrying saffron flags and lathis in their hands to proceed, when Section 144 had already been imposed. Chaudhary alleged that Muslims were being targeted by the BJP government in the state.
The Opposition claimed that the ‘tiranga yatra’ was illegal and had no prior permission while the locals — mostly Muslims — organise Republic Day functions at the Baddu Crossing every year and workers of VHP and Bajrang Dal carrying saffron flags forced their way, clashing with the revellers. Chaudhary presented three videos in the House to substantiate his claim, but Speaker Hridaya Narain Dixit refused to take cognizance of theand asked Khanna to reply.