Omar warns BJP against hoisting flag

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday asked the BJP to abandon its plan of hoisting the Tricolour at Srinagars Lal Chowk on Republic Day

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday asked the BJP to abandon its plan of hoisting the Tricolour at Srinagars Lal Chowk on Republic Day,warning that it will be personally responsible for any repercussions of the action.

Unfortunately,the BJP is never happy if there is no fire some way or the other. When Kashmir is burning then it is a problem for them and they ask why it is burning. Now when Kashmir is quiet,they want to set it on fire again, Omar said.

The CM was reacting to the BJP youth wings plan to take out a march from West Bengal the native state of its ideologue Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee to Kashmir,where he died in jail 58 years ago.

Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Yasin Malik has already warned the BJP against hoisting the Tricolour at Lal Chowk,describing the plan as the gravest provocation. In 1991,BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi had hoisted the National Flag at Lal Chowk on Republic Day.

Reviving their hardline on Kashmir,the BJP national leadership at their recent Ekta Sankalp rally here had refused to accept any proposal,including autonomy and self rule,saying these were aimed at further weakening the political and constitutional relationship between the state and Indian Union. Demanding total integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India by abrogating Article 370 of the Indian Constitution,they had warned the UPA government at the Centre of a nationwide agitation if it agreed to any such proposal.

Are they more nationalist than all of us? the Chief Minister asked BJP leaders,questioning the need to hoist a flag separately when a state minister was going to take the salute on Republic Day anyway.

The National Flag will be hoisted at numerous places. These will be hoisted at every district headquarters,every security forces camps,army and police establishments, he said,asking BJP leaders that do they mean that our flags do not have any meaning… that if my minister hoists a flag,it is irrelevant and theirs is only relevant?.

Story continues below this ad

However,if the aim of the BJP is to set Kashmir on fire,please tell them to come. But if there are any repercussions,I will hold them personally responsible, Omar said. They should not blame me if there is any fallout of the situation because it is they who will be creating it and they will have to sort it out…they will not hold me responsible for it, he said.