Flag hoisting row: Govt. has bowed before separatists, militants, says BJP

New Delhi/Srinagar, Jan 25 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday criticizing the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government at the Centre for disrupting the party's plans to hoist the national flag at Srinagar's Lal Chowk on Republic Day, said the government has bowed before the separatists and the militants.

"The only motive of our protest is, under the pressure of the separatists, the Congress party is planning to make Lal Chowk as Lahore Chowk and this is the reason why Rajnath SinghJi has to sit in protest," said BJP spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

"The party members are protesting because the Congress party and its Central Government along with the Jammu and Kashmir government have bowed their heads in front of the separatists and militants and is giving challenge to the self-respect of the country," he added.

Police stepped up security in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua region today after Section 144 of the Indian Penal Code was imposed to prevent BJP from hoisting the Tricolour at Srinagar's Lal Chowk on Republic Day.

High deployment of the security forces and police has been made at Lakhanpur, which has also been converted into a makeshift Police Headquarter.

The State government has also deployed forces on the Punjab border at Lakhanpur.

Naqvi further said every Indian has the right to sing the national song and national anthem, while hoisting the national flag.

"It is the constitutional right of every Indian to hoist the national flag by singing 'Vande Mataram' and the national anthem and can be proud of it. But today, we have to protest for our right and this is very shameful," he added.

Former BJP President Rajnath Singh is presently on a hunger strike to protest against the Centre and Jammu and Kashmir Government's decision to prevent the party from hoisting the Tricolour at Srinagar's Lal Chowk.

"I want to ask the government, till when the nation's integrity be compromised for maintaining so-called peace," Singh told reporters.

On Monday, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj were not allowed to leave the Jammu airport.

Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha national president Anurag Thakur is leading the Rashtriya Ekta Yatra - flagged off on January 12 at Kolkata and scheduled to reach Srinagar on January 26.

The Yatra was expected to cover 3,037 km and enter the State on the afternoon of January 24 at Pathankot. (ANI)