Jammu: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh Saturday said his party would continue its agitation against the revocation of land transfer to the Amarnath shrine management, even as a shutdown and protests continued for the sixth consecutive day.

Singh, who arrived here in the afternoon, took stock of the situation arising out of the cancellation of the govenrment order on land transfer and mass protests that have rocked the Jammu region this week.

"The central government is behind this trouble. First the land allotment and then its cancellation have been done with an eye on the minority votes in the country," he said.

"The central government and the Congress-led coalition in Jammu and Kashmir are the mastermind behind the moves to play with the sentiments of people, especially Hindus."

The BJP will continue the agitation against this "national tragedy", Singh said.

Accompanied by BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley, Singh also visited a hospital and met those injured in the violent protests here.

The Jammu and Kashmir government had transferred 40 hectares of forst land in north Kashmir to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) to provide facilities to pilgrims visiting the Amarnath cave shrine.

However, following protests in the Kashmir valley last month, the state government cancelled the order - provoking protests in the Jammu region.

Singh asked Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to watch his words and actions while talking of the religious affairs of the people. "Amarnath pilgrims were stoned and harassed in Kashmir. Is this what he means when he says the government can offer ten times better facilities to pilgrims than any board? It is ridiculous."

Meanwhile, several hundreds of protestors came out on streets, some defying curfew in many places, to protest against the July 1 government decision to revoke the land transfer order.

 

Source : IANS