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Centre silent on ‘anti-national’ activities, says BJP

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party here on Wednesday strongly criticised the Centre for not reacting to “anti-national activities” in the Kashmir Valley over the last couple of weeks even as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad said it expected 10 lakh activists to court arrest throughout the country on Thursday.

BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said the government had done nothing to stop non-Kashmiri labourers from fleeing the valley over the last couple of weeks. He claimed that 5,000 labourers and around 1,000 non-Kashmiri government officers had left the valley. On August 15, Pakistan flag was blatantly hoisted and the Tricolour insulted by some elements and nothing was done about this.

On August 12 and 13, the Uri power plant was attacked and a demand made that electricity generated there should only be supplied to the valley.

Finally, he pointed out that the talk of economic blockade of the valley was mischievous propaganda as 2,300 trucks with essential supplies entered the valley in July 2008 as against 2,000 in July last year, disproving claims that the valley was facing shortages.

The Centre has been watching all this helplessly. Mr. Javadekar demanded that the government should try writer and social activist Arundhati Roy for “treason” for her views on Kashmir. “India can live without Arundhati Roy, not without Kashmir,” Mr. Javadekar said.

On the earlier announcement of a “rally” in Jammu on August 25, the BJP spokesperson said there was some “miscommunication” and the dates of any rally would be announced by the Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti.

Separately, VHP leader Pravin Togadia announced an all-India programme of filling up the country’s jails with volunteers espousing the cause of land for the Amarnath Shrine Board. He said the agitation was non-political.

He refused to directly answer any question on why the BJP had to hastily change plans about its two leaders, Rajnath Singh and L.K. Advani, addressing a rally in Jammu on August 25.

He said the VHP had three demands: return of land to the Board, continuation of the yatra, and recall of Governor N.N. Vohra. “Our agitation will be over the moment these three demands are met,” he added.

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