Amarnath row: BJP-VHP bandh brings life to halt

{image-kashmir burning_03072008.jpg news.oneindia.in}New Delhi, Jul 3: A nationwide shutdown called by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) to protest against the revocation of the order transferring land to the Amarnath shrine board has disrupted normal life in large parts of the country.

Several highways across the country were blocked and some trains were stopped by the protestors.Traffic between the National capital and the suburb of Noida was also affected with the protesters blocking the DND flyover. Large number of agitating workers came out on the streets in Indore, Agra, Aligarh and Bhopal. However, In Ahmedabad, the BJP said it would not join the shutdown given the precarious security situation in view of the annual Jagannath rathyatra on Friday, July 4.

The decision was taken after parleys with party president Rajnath Singh.

Calling the revocation of sale of land to Amarnath Shrine Board as a 'non-secular' move, Rajnath Singh had urged the State Government to re-allot the land to Shrine Board.

After hue and cry over the transfer of 40 hectares of land allotted to the Amarnath shrine, the Jammu and Kashmir Government had revoked the order transferring the land.

Blaming both the Congress and the UPA Government for the revocation, Rajnath Singh said that the BJP would also take out protest rallies in all the major centers of the country from July 4 till July 11.

ANI