Bangalore: BJP Tuesday demanded "unconditional
apology" from the UPA government for its attempts to stop the
`Tiranga yatra` and termed its actions as "atrocious, heinous
and undemocratic".
Senior party leader M Venkaiah Naidu said the yatra would
continue, adding, some BJP workers have already reached Jammu
and others are trying to be there.
On stopping Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and Ananth Kumar
in Jammu yesterday, Naidu termed it as "atrocious,
unconstitutional and anti-national on the part of Government
of India and the (Jammu and) Kashmir government to stop the
people from hoisting the national flag".
"Is it a sin to hoist a national flag on a place which is
not even disputed and which is part of India," he asked.
"Instead of stopping the separatists, Pakistani agents,
ISI agents and terrorists, the Government of India has chosen
to stop the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Leader of
Opposition in Rajya Sabha and also patriotic youngsters who
want to take up the challenge of separatists and hoist a
national flag at Lal Chowk in Srinagar," Naidu said.
He said the UPA should unconditionally apologise to the
nation for the "heinous thing they have committed by stopping
the yatra and arresting the leaders".
Naidu said the Central government is indulging in
"undemocratic acts", pointing to stopping of trains in
different parts of the country carrying people going for
flag-hoisting in Srinagar.
"Is Kashmir a prohibited area?" he asked. "I want to
ask what kind of signals you are sending. You are sending
wrong signals and your actions will embolden separatists," he
said.
Naidu said some six-seven months ago, "they (the
separatists) were waving Pakistani flags. If you (UPA
government) have guts, you should take action against them.
You should put Yasin Malik (Hurriyat leader) under arrest,
into the jail".
"And you want to arrest the nationalist leaders and
opposition leaders. Government will pay a heavy price for
this, and they will face the wrath of the people", he added.
PTI
