BJP claims a “wave of support” in Jammu
Special Correspondent the hindu
NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday claimed a “wave of support” in Jammu for its demand that the order revoking leasing of land to the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board be cancelled.
The police fired on “peaceful protestors” in Jammu at “four places,” and in the Kashmir Valley, the State government and the Centre “kneeled before” separatists and fundamentalists by revoking the “legitimate” order on land transfer, BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said.
Mr. Javadekar pointed out that the Ghulam Nabi Azad-led government had been reduced to a minority with the withdrawal of support by the People’s Democratic Party.
In the Centre too, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government was facing threat of withdrawal of support by Left parties.
Asked why the BJP was making a fuss now, when during NDA partner National Conference’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir, facilities were provided to pilgrims without transferring land to the shrine board, he said that at that time there was no proposal for transfer of land to the board.
Muslims were not against facilities being provided to those visiting the shrine. Only fundamentalists and separatists had created a dangerous situation in the Valley and the Centre had quietly caved in to their demands, he said.
The BJP expected a total “hartal” in the country on Thursday in response to a call given by it.
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Thursday, July 3, 2008
BJP claims a “wave of support” in Jammu
‘Azad using money power to prove majority’
Statesman News Service
JAMMU, July 2: The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) launched another attack on chief minister Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad today, alleging he was using "money power" to save his government and prove his majority by 7 July. The PDP refused to rejoin the Congress-led minority government in Jammu and Kashmir, even after its demand for the revocation of land transfer to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board was accepted. “Azad and his cohorts are utilising all the undemocratic means, overtly and covertly, to manage numbers and there have been reports that besides various lucrative offers, even moneybags are being presented to legislators to shift their loyalties,” the PDP alleged in a written statement. Alleging that Mr Azad was already in the process of poaching legislators of various political parties to arrange the required numbers for himself, a PDP spokesman said against all numerical odds, the chief minister has said he has more than adequate numbers to prove his majority in the state legislate assembly. The PDP warned that in the presence of a strict anti-defection law, such unconstitutional tactics will set a severe blow to the hard-earned democratic institutions and processes in the state. The party, which apprehends the defection of some of its MLAs to the Congress, said Mr Azad, who was trumpeting the slogan of "war against corruption" has himself started resorting to the worst kind of political corruption to save his chair. “While the state's major political parties ~ the PDP, National Conference,Panthers Party and BJP have already made it clear that they are not going to support the chief minister during the vote of confidence, the only way Mr Azad could cobble up the numbers is through foul-play and horse-trading,” alleged the PDP. “Although Mr Azad could have succeeded in other parts of the country in making or breaking the governments through such dubious tactics, Jammu and Kashmir is entirely a different case and any move to subvert the democratic institutions here could have a disastrous political fallout," the PDP spokesman said. source: http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=2&theme=&usrsess=1&id=211298
Congress had "ditched" "humiliated Hindus"
Jammu shutdown extended till July 6
"We will continue our protest shutdown till July 6," said Leela Karan, chairman of the Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti.
He said the Congress government had "ditched" the people of Jammu and "humiliated Hindus" by revoking the May 26 cabinet order, which had granted 40 hectares of forest land in north Kashmir to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) for setting up pilgrim facilities.
Various groups supporting the shutdown call and demanding restoration of land to the shrine board, rejected the chief minister's appeal for peace.
Azad earlier told a hurriedly convened press conference that the government decision was not "succumbing to pressure from terrorists or separatists".
He said the government would acquire as much land as needed to provide facilities to the pilgrims visiting the cave shrine of Amarnath.
Describing it as a "win-win situation", he said this was a reason for celebrations for one and all, but regretted that politics of inciting communal passions was on to gain political mileage.
However, Shiv Sena leader Shamsher Singh said: "All this is eyewash. We reject this. He should restore the land to the shrine board, the rest is misleading propaganda." source: http://www.hindustantimes.com