Jammu, November 8 (Scoop News) – To register their protest against anti-constitutional and anti-national statements of the State Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over the issue of accession of J&K with Indian Union as also the discrimination with the Jammu province,the state BJP sponsored bandh passed off peacefully even as normal life across the region remained crippled through out the day on Thursday.
The transport services remained off the roads and only long route buses were seen on the roads. The major business markets in and around Jammu also remained closed while educational institutions had announced holiday in view of the bandh call.
No untoward incident was reported from anywhere during the bandh.
On the first day of Darbar Move at Jammu, hundreds of BJP activists led by State President Shamsher Singh Manhas, Leader of Legislators Party Prof. Chanan Lal Gupta, National Executive Members Dr. Nirmal Singh and Ashok Khajuria and party MLAs Sukhnandan Choudhary and Jugal Kishore Sharma took out a massive protest march from Dogra Chowk against the anti-constitutional and anti-national statements of the State Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over the issue of accession of J&K with Indian Union as also the discrimination with the Jammu province.
The party activists were forcibly stopped from proceeding towards the Civil Secretariat by a heavy contingent of police. The agitated activists, carrying black flags in their hands, then staged sit-in-dharna and they were addressed by the party leaders.
In his address to the peaceful protestors, Shamsher Singh Manhas, said that today’s bandh and dharna, which has been massively supported by common Jammuites is against the anti-National and divisive thinking, utterances and actions of the state Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. He condemned the statement of the chief minister which put a question mark on the accession of the state with the Indian Union and said that such utterances will not be tolerated by the nationalist and patriotic people of the state and the BJP shall fight such disintegratic utterances and mentality. He added that Jammu is suffering continuously discrimination and partiality at the hands of Kashmir-centric state government. He said the transporters, traders, businessmen, tourist operators and shopkeepers suffered losses of about 25,000 crores during 2008 land row agitation but unfortunately not a singly penny has been paid to any of them as compensation, where as crores of rupees are poured into valley on the pretext of one package or the other. He said BJP shall never rest till equal status for the Jammu region is achieved and the persons like Omar Abdullah learn to respect the constitution. He asked the chief minister to withdraw his controversial statements or vacate the chair, failing which the BJP will intensify its agitation.
BJP prominent activists including Sunil Dogra, Narotam Sharma, Ayodhya Kumar, Rakesh Gupta, Rajesh Bhalla and Mnumanav Mahajan were arrested from different parts of Jammu city.
Similarly, State Vice-president Chander Prakash Ganga led more than 200 protest demonstrators, who were arrested at Bari Brahmana.
Party MLA Bharat Bhushan was arrested at Janipur alongwith other party activists while he was proceeding towards city to join the state leaders. At Chinore, 40 activists led by Distt. President Suraj Padha were arrested. BJP Kissan Morcha President Karan Singh, alongwith Ex-corporators Omi Khajuria and Sheela Handoo were also arrested there.