Land must be returned to SASB, bullet wont quell stir: BJP

New Delhi, Aug 2 (UNI) Reiterating its demand that the order cancelling the allotment of land to the Amarnath Shrine Board must be revoked, the BJP today charged the Jammu and Kashmir Government with ''playing into the hands of secessionist elements''.

The party also warned that ''the bullet would not be able to quell the agitation''. The Government would have to come to the negotiating table and the land would have to be returned to the Shrine Board.

Talking to newspersons, BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said the Shrine Board was a government body, constituted by the Jammu and Kashmir Government by passing a legislation to this effect in the assembly.

The land lease was given to the shrine in deference to the wishes of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court by the state Government.

But the manner in which the lease was cancelled had proved that the government had bowed down to the pressure from secessionist elements.

''The Government decision to revoke the order is an attack on democracy and secularism,'' he said.

The Government must submit to the wishes of the people rather than the militants, he said, claiming that the government should realise that violence was perpetuating in Jammu for the past one month and people from all faiths, Hindu, Muslims and Sikhs, were jointly protesting against the Government's decision.

In reply to a question over National Conference leader and MP Omar Abdullah's comment over the Gujarat riots, Mr Javadekar said Mr Abdullah remained a minister in the NDA government even after the riots and asked why he had not resigned from the Government at that time.

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