Jammu: A day after the arrest of BJP's
senior leaders and thwarting of their plan to hoist the
tricolour in Lal Chowk, the party Wednesday rejected Jammu and
Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's offer to attend
Republic Day function either in Jammu or in Srinagar, terming
it as a mere lip service.
"It is a lip service by him (Omar). We do not give
credence to it and turn it down," BJYM national president
Anurag Thakur told reporters in Kathua district, around 70 kms
from here.
"Omar first arrested leaders of the nationalist party
and then did not allow the hoisting of national flag at Lal
Chowk in Srinagar as if it is not a part of the country. Then
he invites us as a state guest for the tricolour hoisting on
the Republic Day in the state," Thakur said.
The Chief Minister had invited BJP leaders to be a
state guest at the R-Day functions either in Jammu or
Srinagar.
Terming it as "unacceptable", Thakur alleged that Omar
was muzzling the voice of nationalistic forces and giving
moral boost to separatist forces in the Kashmir Valley.
Thakur, along with senior BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj,
Arun Jaitley, Ananth Kumar and Shanta Kumar, were arrested
yesterday on charges of violating prohibitory orders in
Lakhanpur border during the Ekta Yatra and were lodged in a
hotel after being booked.
No politics in hoisting flag
BJP president Nitin Gadkari meanwhile described as "unfortunate"
the detention of party’s senior leaders in Jammu, and rubbished charges that the party was playing politics over hoisting
the national flag at Lal Chowk in Srinagar.
"Some people say there is politics in hoisting the
national flag at Lal Chowk. I don't understand what politics
can there be in hoisting the flag... This is not politics but
our duty," Gadkari said.
Gadkari alleged that the Centre and Omar Abdullah
government were bowing to pressure from the separatists.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, January 26, 2011, 12:14