Jammu incidents: Advani lodges protest with PM

New Delhi, Jan 24 (PTI) Unhappy over the treatment metedout to party colleagues Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley atJammu airport, senior BJP leader L K Advani today talked toPrime Minister Manmohan Singh to lodge a protest over thedevelopments which had "never happened" earlier.

"I talked to the Prime Minister to register protest overthe way authorities prevented Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley,both Leaders of Opposition in two Houses of Parliament, fromentering Jammu and threatened to deport them back to Delhi,"Advani told PTI.

While expressing anguish, the Chairman of BJPParliamentary Party told Singh that such developments had"never happened earlier".

Advani said Swaraj and Jaitley had refused to return toDelhi.

Swaraj and Jaitley, who went to Jammu this afternoon tojoin the party''s Ekta Yatra, were prohibited from coming outof the airport, leading to a stand-off.

On being told by the authorities that prohibitory ordersunder Section 144 was in force, Swaraj and Jaitley asked themto arrest them rather than sending back to Delhi, Advani said.

Asked whether Singh had given any assurance to him,Advani said, "I did not call to seek any assurance but just toregister my protest at the treatment meted out to our twosenior leaders." PTI AKK