ABVP drops Dadri talk after RSS rejects its ‘love affair behind lynching’ theory

On October 26, The Indian Express had reported that ABVP would take up the Dadri incident during a discussion on “appeasement politics” on the first day of the convention. Suggestions from participating youths would have been sought the next day. The report had quoted ABVP Awadh region organisation secretary Satyabhan Bhadauriya.

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The ABVP had said it would claim that the incident was the result of “a personal dispute” as one of Mohammad Akhlaq’s two sons had “an affair with a Hindu girl” and that politicians had wrongly projected the lynching as a fallout of rumours over “beef consumption”. Its claim was based on certain media reports.

Akhlaq (50) was dragged out of his home and killed by a mob following rumours that his family was storing and consuming beef. His 22-year-old son Danish was also beaten up.

Sources in ABVP said following the The Indian Express report, top RSS office-bearers pulled up senior ABVP leaders. Since the RSS was reportedly “not satisfied” with the ABVP’s “love affair” theory, the latter dropped the issue from its agenda for the convention. It also dropped proposals related to discussion on “appeasement politics, communal harmony and terrorism.”

ABVP state organisation general secretary Dharampal and state secretary Raman Singh were unavailable for comments. Bhadauriya, while refusing to comment on the change in the agenda, said only two issues — law and order situation and the condition of higher education — were discussed in the meeting.

Discussion on law and order is significant because BJP has decided to use it as a weapon against the Akhilesh government in the run-up to the 2017 Assembly polls. Matters related to students included delay in declaration of examination results, irregularities in distribution of scholarships, and delay in the holding of student union elections.

In the Sitapur meet, ABVP announced Dr Devanand Tiwari as its state president while Raman Singh was given a second term as the state secretary. It also claimed its state membership has increased to 75,791.