The Samyukta Kisan Morcha on Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of harbouring criminals and placing ego before morality, the statement coming six hours before the expiry of its deadline to sack and arrest junior home minister Ajay Mishra Teni.

“His (Teni’s) continuation as a minister in the Union council of ministers can be construed only as Narendra Modi’s harbouring of criminals, Narendra Modi’s readiness to erode further the credibility of India’s Union government, or Narendra Modi’s ego becoming more important than morality in public life,” the Morcha asserted.

Ajay Mishra Teni PTI

The Morcha wants action against Teni for his “communal speech that acted as a trigger for the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre”. Teni’s son Ashis Mishra has been arrested in connection with a convoy of cars mowing down four farmers and a journalist in Lakhmpur Kheri on October 3, days after Teni had threatened to fix the protesting farmers.

Congress leaders and workers protest outside the Jammu Raj Bhavan. The Congress observed “maun vrat” throughout the country on Monday in protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s failure to sack minister of state for home Ajay Mishra, whose son has been arrested for the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre and whose speech threatening farmers is being seen as an instigation for violence. Priyanka Gandhi led the silent protest in Lucknow and senior party leaders participated in the campaign in every state. (PTI picture)

The Morcha, which has been spearheading the nationwide movement against three farm laws, will wait till midnight for the government to meet all its demands. However, as of Monday evening, its protest programme over the coming weeks to build pressure on the government over the Lakhimpur Kheri carnage is on course.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra leads a silent protest by the party in Lucknow on Monday against the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre. (PTI)

A formal announcement will come on Tuesday at the antim ardas (final prayers) to be held near the site of the October 3 carnage.

“It is clear that in the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre itself he (Teni) had a role to play. It was his vehicles that were in the convoy that killed innocent people,” the Morcha said.

“The fact that Ajay Mishra Teni had sought to promote enmity, hatred and disharmony is clear from his speech on September 25th against minority Sikhs of Terai region. His speech was of intimidation and threat, in a public meeting at that, where he was also proudly alluding to his criminal antecedents, and on the basis of this, stern action should have taken place by now, which could have prevented the entire episode of Lakhimpur Kheri massacre.”

A Congress worker in Amritsar participates in the countrywide protest. (PTI)

The Morcha alleged that Teni had tried to protect his son.

Since October 3, the Morcha has been citing a speech Teni had purportedly delivered on September 25 targeting the Sikh farmers of Lakhimpur Kheri. As in the rest of the Terai region of Uttar Pradesh, Lakhimpur Kheri has a sizeable number of Sikh farmers who were settled there after Partition. Many of them had fled western Punjab, now in Pakistan.

The Morcha’s contention is that with other efforts to discredit its movement having failed, the BJP and its ecosystem was now trying to use direct violence to break the agitation, and to weaken it by dividing the farmers along communal lines.

A deserted flyover in Mumbai on Monday during the Maharashtra bandh called by the ruling Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance against the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre. (PTI)

This has been highlighted by BJP parliamentarian Varun Gandhi, who represents another constituency in the Terai region, Pilibhit, and is familiar with its demographic dynamics.

“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,” Varun had tweeted on Sunday.

Varun has repeatedly sought justice for the farmers killed in Lakhimpur Kheri, going against his party line.