BJP to hold nationwide protests over Amarnath land row

New Delhi, Jul 31 (UNI) In a bit to highlight its protest against ''surrender'' of the Centre and Jammu and Kashmir government to the ''diktats of fundamentalist and separatist elements'' and make them revise the decision to revoke land allotment to Amarnath Shrine Board, the BJP today announced a three-day nationwide protest from August 11.

Senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu announced the party's decision to hold protests in front of Raj Bhavans, the official residence of Governors in state capitals, in turns to send the right message to the Centre and Jammu and Kashmir government. He said it was unfortunate that the government which had made the allotment to the Shrine Board for building temporary infrastructure for visiting pilgrims had cancelled it succumbing to the pressures of separtist elements. There had been no intention for any conflict with any other religious group, he said.

The protest meetings will be addressed by Central and state party leaders, MLAs and MPs to highlight the injustice done to the people by reversing the land allotment decision. It was against the principles of secularism, social harmony and national interest, Mr Naidu alleged.

He said the statement of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad that the violent agitation against the land allotment by separatist elements was funded by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and that the PDP was working in tandem with extremist forces was a serious charge from a person who had held responsible positions both in the State and the Centre and it could not be ignored. The government had totally surrendered to vote bank politics, he alleged.

He acccused the Centre of playing a similar role in Ramsetu issue where the government first denied the existence of Lord Rama or Ramayana but later said Lord Rama himself had destroyed the Ramasetu. The government wants to hurt the sentiments of a vast majority of people across the country, he alleged.

The BJP had decided to take up the cause of pilgrims of Amarnath and wants to educate the people on the issue and expose the cause behind the attitudes of Central and State governments and their designs of vote bank politics, he said.

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