PDP, NC, Cong leaders, including Muslims, quit on SASB land row

Jammu, Jul 4 (UNI) In growing resentment against Kashmiri leadership on Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) land row, senior leaders of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), National Conference (NC) and Congress in Udhampur today tendered their resignations to show solidarity with the saffron parties on the issue.

Exhibiting secularism, the district president of People's Democratic Party (PDP) and three Muslim leaders of National Conference and Congress resigned from their parties, along with their supporters at a joint press conference in Udhampur this afternoon.

Prominent among those who resigned included PDP district president Surinder Singh 'Fauji', NC leaders Nassir Hussain and Anwar Chandel 'Raju' and Congress leader Syed Peer Gulzar Shah.

With the resignation of Surinder Singh, who was accompanied by hundreds of his supporters and PDP workers, sources said, the PDP has lost base in entire district.

According to sources, all the leaders and workers had expressed solidarity with the ongoing agitation sponsored by saffron parties and showed willingness to join BJP.

BJP state president Ashok Khajuria, when contacted on phone, said ''People of Jammu, particularly those who follow Muslim faith, have come to undershand the fact that how they were being used as vote bank.'' ''The inclination of leaders following different faiths to join BJP shows that our party was never communal on any issue,'' he added.

UNI VJ AE KN1653