Govt sponsored elements ''sabotaging'' agitation: Samiti

Jammu, Aug 22 (UNI) The Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti (SAYSS), a conglomerate of 45 religious, social and political organisations, today said some of the government sponsored elements are trying to ''sabotage'' the ongoing movement for the restoration of land back to the Shrine Board.

''Some anti-social elements being sponsored, by the state government and police agencies, are trying to disrupt the smooth agitation provoking protestors and indulging in activities to reflect negative messages among the masses,'' convenor of the Samiti Leela Karan Sharma said at a press conference here.

Mr Sharma, quoting the examples of attack on one of TV channels and former Deputy Chief Minister Mangat Ram Sharma, setting private vehicles and an official building of BJP leader on afire, said, ''the sponsored elements are making all efforts to give bad shape to the movement and are being paid for it.'' However, the convenor also revealed that a four-member committee of the Samiti would enter into dialogue tomorrow with the team, constituted by the administration and led by S S Baeloria, an advisor to Governor N N Vohra.

''Samiti members comprised of Tilak Raj Sharma, Narinder Singh, Pawan Kohli and Brigadier Suchet Singh will have talks on the table with the government representatives and let us see what they have for us in the Pandora box,'' Mr Sharma said.

He asserted, ''Our decision extremely depends on the proposals from the administration.'' Meanwhile, the Samiti leader also warned the Congress leadership against playing with the sentiments of nationalistic forces in Jammu and Kashmir.

''The Samiti has asked the local Congress leaders to react strongly against such utterances of their leaders sitting at New Delhi or otherwise resign from the party membership,'' Mr Sharma said.

Moreover lambasting the state government for not taking effective measures to control fundamentalists in the Valley, the SAYSS pointed out that the Hurriyat leaders had been instigating mob to attack truck operators carrying essential commodities to Kashmir so that they could easily exploit the sentiments of people on the issue of so-called economic blockade.

''There was no as such 'economic blockade' to Kashmir but the anti-national forces are themselves responsible for it as so called 'blockade' happened due to the harassment of truck drivers, who are not willing to visit Valley to unload essential commodities,'' vice-president of the Jammu and Kashmir Trucks Association Rakesh Gupta said.

UNI VBH SW RK1908