BJP promises to nominate Hindu CM if voted to power in J

Jammu, July 31 (UNI) The BJP unit of Jammu and Kashmir today promised to nominate a Hindu as chief ministerial candidate provided people voted the party to power in the Assembly election scheduled for next year.

Addressing mediapersons at state party headquarters here today, party unit Ashok Khajuria said the BJP had started the preparation of next Assembly election which was likely to be held in August 2008.

''BJP will give a Hindu Chief Minister to Jammu and Kashmir and have chalked out our strategy,'' Mr Khajuria.

He said the approach of the union government's election campaign as well as state governments have been discriminatory and humiliating towards the people of Jammu and Ladakh.

''Congress-led coalition government and opposition National Conference are against Jammu and Ladakh and cardinal principles of secularism, democracy, rule of law and nationalism,'' he said.

The BJP leader said the discrimination against Jammu can be seen from the fact that while Jammu has 10 districts at the rate of 2629.34 sq kms and 305,998.6 voters, Kashmir has the same number of districts but at the rate of one per 1590.3 sq kms and 288,555 voters.

UNI