The Hindu : New Delhi News : BJP workers court arrest on Amarnath issue in the Capital

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Tuesday, Aug 12, 2008
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BJP workers court arrest on Amarnath issue in the Capital

Staff Reporter

- Photo: V. Sudershan

Law and order: Delhi BJP president Harsh Vardhan being prevented from crossing the police barricade while courting arrest in New Delhi on Monday during a demonstration in protest against Amarnath land row.

NEW DELHI: A large number of Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party workers led by unit president Harsh Vardhan on Monday courted arrest at Jantar Mantar here on Monday as part of the nationwide “Satyagraha and Jail Bharo” movement of the party in support of transfer of land to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board.

The party workers, who had primarily come from Chandni Chowk, New Delhi, South Delhi, Karol Bagh, Sadar and Mehrauli districts, assembled near Jantar Mantar and then began moving towards Parliament. However, the police had erected barricades to stop them and when they tried to break through them, they were stopped and arrested. The police later released them on completion of the paper work.

Addressing the protesters, Dr. Vardhan said the matter of re-allotment of land for the Shrine Board was no longer a concern of the people of Jammu and Kashmir alone but it has become an issue for the whole nation since it has adversely impacted the feelings of millions of Indians.

Stating that denial of land to the Shrine Board was something that should have been avoided, he reminded that India was a secular country. “Haj houses has been constructed in various cities on public premises with Government money and for Haj pilgrimage crores of rupees are provided as subsidy. Hindus never opposed such arrangements for Muslims, then what has been the necessity to cancel the land allotted to the Shrine Board,” he said.

BJP national general secretary Vijay Goel said the Centre should restore autonomy to the Shrine Board, return the earlier allotted land to the Board, recall the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir and punish all the anti-national people who had resorted to burning of the National Tricolour and voicing of pro-Pakistan slogans in the State.

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