Omar-BJP war of words over Lal Chowk flag hoisting continues

NEW DELHI: The plans of the BJP youth wing to hoist the national tricolour at Lal Chowk in Srinagar on Republic Day on Wednesday sparked off a war of words between Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the saffron party.

Questioning the BJP’s intentions, the chief minister said that the party was trying to incite people of the state and warned that it would be held responsible for any repercussions. Retaliating to the allegation, the BJP, which is going ahead with its rally, said the Rashtriya Ekta Yatra from Kolkata to Srinagar was a campaign for national sovereignty and solidarity. “Unfortunately, the BJP is never happy if there is not fire somewhere or the other. When Kashmir is burning that’s also a problem for them, then it is my fault why Kashmir is burning. Now that Kashmir is quiet, they want to set it on fire again. My minister is going to hoist a tricolour in Srinagar in the middle of the stadium taking a salute, what’s the need for individuals to hoist flags,” Omar told reporters in Jammu.

The chief minister said the BJP, and not he, will be responsible if there were any repercussions.

In the Capital, BJP leader Arun Jaitley defended the plans of the party’s youth wing and said that the yatra was not aimed at inciting violence. “The BJP maintains that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India... We are going to carry the national flag not in one state but through several states... This is part of a campaign for national sovereignty and solidarity,” he told reporters after a meeting of the BJP’s core group.

The Rashtriya Ekta Yatra is being launched from Kolkata on January 12 and will travel through several states and end in Srinagar on January 26 with the hoisting of the national flag.

The spat between the BJP and Abdullah has deepened over the past couple of months with the main Opposition party even favouring a change in leadership in the state. The BJP was of the view that the chief minister had become unpopular because of his alienation from the people. Abdullah’s speech in the state assembly in October when he said Kashmir had acceded to India under an agreement and not merged with it had also angered the Opposition.