Bihar CM criticizes BJP’s ‘Tiranga Yatra’

PATNA - Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday pulled up the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over its plans to hoist the national flag at the historic Lal Chowk in Srinagar on January 26.

“Given the kind of tension prevailing in the valley, this yatra has no meaning and I don’t support this,” said Kumar.

Ahead of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) ‘Ekta Yatra’, senior party leaders Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and Ananth Kumar were today not allowed to leave the Jammu airport.

It has been reported that the building was locked to prevent the leaders from exiting the airport.

Meanwhile, scores of BJP supporters are shouting slogans and waving flags in protest outside the airport.

The Jammu and Kashmir Government has sealed its borders with Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to prevent the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) youth wing from entering the state.

The Bhartiya Yuva Morcha proposes to take its Ekta Yatra to Lal Chowk in Srinagar and hoist the National Flag on the January 26.

The state government has made elaborate security arrangements to maintain law and order keeping the Yatra in mind.

The State Government has made it clear that it will not allow any flag hoisting at Lal Chowk in Srinagar on the Republic Day.

The BJP has, however, reiterated its resolve to hoist the tricolour at Lal Chowk.

Earlier, six BJP leaders were arrested and a train carrying party workers to Jammu was sent back to Karnataka without the passengers coming to know.

Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said that the arrest of BJP Yuva Morcha activists and sealing of state border is undemocratic and not acceptable to the party.

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 will cover 3,037 km and enter the State on the afternoon of January 24 at Pathankot. (ANI)