By IANS,
Guangzhou (China): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari Monday described as “undemocratic” the Jammu and Kashmir government’s preventing party leaders from leaving Jammu airport to proceed with their planned flag-hoisting in Srinagar.
The Jammu and Kashmir authorities Monday stopped senior BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Ananth Kumar from leaving Jammu airport to participate in the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM)’s Ekta Yatra.
Gadkari, who is visiting China, termed the Omar Abdullah government’s move as “undemocratic” and “infringement of their fundamental rights”, he said in a statement.
Gadkari had flagged off the yatra from Kolkata Jan 12. It is to culminate with the flag hoisting at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk on Jan 26. Gadkari is on a five-day visit to China at the invitation of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government.
“Under the UPA regime, secessionists are enjoying royal treatment while nationalist and integrationists are being assailed, simply because they have plans to unfurl the national flag at the Lal Chowk in Srinagar,” he said.
“Secessionist elements in the valley will be the happiest lot on Jan 26 while those who want to hoist the flag in their own motherland will be put behind the bars.”
“Now that the government has sent out a horrifyingly wrong signal to the secessionists by refusing the yatra to move ahead, BJP is afraid that this will further boost the anti-nationalists’ morale. The government has always played to the gallery on this issue and if this trend continues, terrorism may raise its ugly head once again,” Gadkari added.