Revocation of land transfer 'compromised' political consensus

New Delhi, Aug 5 (UNI) Stating that there exists an 'unwritten consensus' among political parties to extend government support to the religious groups irrespective of faiths, the BJP today said the revocation of land transfer order to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board was a 'serious compromise' of this culture of consensus under the pressure of separatist elements who never accepted Jammu and Kashmir as part of India.

BJP spokesman Ravishankar Prasad said there had been no murmur of protests all these decades as the governments extended budgetary support to Haj pilgrimage, built Haj Bhawans for the pilgrims across the country on government lands, organised Kumbh Melas and Tublig Jamat congregations. None of these actions created controversies because of strong political consensus.

But in case of Amarnath Yatra, after allotting land for raising the infrastructure for pilgrims, the Centre and Jammu and Kashmir Government succumbed to the pressure of the separatists notwithstanding 35 days of mass movement involving almost every sections of the society in Jammu region claiming seven lives, he said. The repressive administration did not even spare the lives of the patriotic forces carrying the national flag, he regretted.

Mr Prasad said former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had conceded in an interview that it was usual for the state Cabinet to exempt the forest land for non-forest use as most of the Jammu and Kashmir territory happened to be forest land. Only Amarnath exemption had become controversial because the 'motivated mischievous propaganda' of the separatists had forced the government to revoke its own decision, he alleged.

He said the BJP supported peaceful agitation by the Amarnath Sangharsh Samiti and the Centre which has convened an All Party Meeting in Delhi should come out with a appropriate 'corrective measures' and address the grievances of the people of Jammu by engaging them in a dialogue.

The BJP would attend the meeting and express its views, and it would be better for the Centre and State Government to speak to the leadership of the agitating people in Jammu with an 'open mind', he said.

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