BJP warns State-wide agitation over Rajouri issue

Excelsior Correspondent

BJP leaders at a press conference at Jammu on Saturday. Excelsior/Rakesh

JAMMU, Oct 12:  BJP today warned State-wide agitation over Rajouri issue in case the Government failed to take action against those elements who fomented trouble in border town last week.
Addressing a press conference at Party Headquarters here, today, BJP State President, Jugal Kishore Sharma, while expressing serious concern over the developments in Rajouri, blamed the administration for the stalemate in resolving the issue resulting from disruption of Ram Leela by encroachment at the venue by certain mischievous elements from majority community.
He warned that if the administration fails to take appropriate action, the Party will be forced to resort to more aggressive and state-wide agitation from Monday after the culmination of Dussehra festival.
Sharma was flanked at the press conference by National Executive Member & J&K chief spokesperson Dr. Jitendra Singh and State general secretary Rajiv Jasrotia.
While giving details and objectives of Party’s “Rajouri Chalo” protest yesterday, Jugal said the programme was meant to express Party’s solidarity with the minority community in Rajouri and to pressurize the Coalition Government to give full protection to the minorities without any discrimination. He said during yesterday’s protest, several senior leaders of the party were detained and illegally prevented from proceeding to meet their party workers in Rajouri. Even the MLAs were not allowed to go and meet the people which are total violation of their democratic rights, he added.
Sharma said if the administration was impartial and serious about resolving the issue, it could have, instead of filing FIRs against youth of minority community, booked and filed FIRs against members of majority community, who trespassed into the Ram Leela ground and attacked the minority community youth who were making preparations for performing annual Ram Leela during the Navratras.
He said that this was a deliberate attempt to disturb the celebrations of Navratras and Dusshera, to create communal tension.
Sharma warned that if the issue is not resolved on the eve of Dussehra, BJP will hold consultations with like-minded social groups and organizations to launch a decisive agitation against Omar Abdullah Government and its communal policies.