Those who forced exodus have fled: Amit Shah in Kairana

Union home minister Amit Shah kickstarted his Uttar Pradesh election campaign with a door-to-door campaign in Kairana district where the alleged "exodus" of Hindu families during the previous Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government had been a major issue. Later he addressed intellectuals in Meerut district.

BJP fielded its senior leaders in west UP on Saturday with party chief JP Nadda holding meetings with supporters from Bijnore while chief minister Yogi Adityanath campaigned in Bulandshahr. The Chief Minister, Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur and state BJP head Swatantra Dev Singh flagged off BJP raths to different parts of the state for campaigning.

During his visit to Kairana, Shah met the families which had to "flee" during the SP rule as its leaders had allegedly given a call that people should not buy from shops owned by Hindus. Shah said these families have returned to the district since 2017 when BJP formed the government and asserted that they will continue to be safe as his party will form the next government. Shah had last visited Kairana in 2014.

BJP has fielded Mriganka Singh from Kairana.

Talking to reporters, Shah said, "In any state, the first condition for growth is law and order. In Kairana people were forced to flee from the district. People here say the Narendra Modi government at the Centre and the Yogi Adityanath government here has ensured that those who forced the exodus were forced to migrate from here.... "