Processions were taken out in Srinagar, Bengaluru and Jaipur on Thursday by the BJP on the third day of its 11-day Tiranga Yatra programme, being held to honour the armed forces for successfully undertaking Operation Sindoor.
The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP organised rallies at several places in the Valley like Srinagar, Pahalgam and Kupwara.
In Srinagar, the party activists assembled at the Sher-e-Kashmir Park and started the rally that culminated at the historic Ghanta Ghar, the iconic clock tower at the Lal Chowk city centre.
Jammu and Kashmir BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur said, “This is the celebration of the Indian Army’s victory. Our forces exhibited their courage and made Operation Sindoor a success. They destroyed terror factories inside Pakistan,” he said.
Saying that India, through Operation Sindoor, has sent a message to the world that it will not tolerate terrorism anymore, the BJP leader said, “We have also sent a message that if you indulge in terrorism, we will wipe you out,” the BJP leader added.
Similar rallies were organised in the Pahalgam tourist resort, where 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed in a terror attack on April 22 that led to Operation Sindoor, and Handwara in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.
Rajasthan BJP leaders extolled the armed forces for “breaking the back of terrorists” through Operation Sindoor and asserted the Tiranga Yatra was not just the party’s tribute but the society’s homage to the military.
The march, which began at Albert Hall and culminated at Badi Chaupar, saw Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, his deputy Diya Kumari, and several senior BJP leaders in attendance. Hundreds of BJP workers and locals marched with the tricolour in hand, raising patriotic slogans.
People showered flowers on the procession at multiple points, including at New Gate, Bapu Bazaar, Sanganeri Gate, Johri Bazaar, and Jama Masjid. Sending out a message of communal unity, members of the minority community welcomed the march at Jama Masjid.
“The wave of anger and emotion that swept the nation after the Pahalgam attack was met with a strong response by our armed forces who struck terrorist bases in Pakistan. I thank all those involved in Operation Sindoor, as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Cabinet for giving our defence forces a free hand.” the CM said.
The state BJP held a Tiranga Yatra from Malleshwaram in Bengaluru, in which students. ex-servicemen and people from various walks of life participated. A 1,500 feet long national flag was also on display during the yatra. Several BJP leaders, including state in-charge Radha Mohandas Agarwal, Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka, MLA Ashwath Narayan, among others participated in the event.
“People from all walks of life have come to the Tiranga Yatra. This is not a political event. Anyone can come. We have come to pay respect to the soldiers. Some say, ‘Peace, peace.’ Others say, ‘No war.’ All that should be decided by the soldiers,” Ashoka said.
The BJP also put up a cut-out of Prime Minister Narendra Modi dressed in Army fatigues, raising questions about the “apolitical” nature of the event. Agarwal lashed out at the Congress claiming Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah was making “anti-Hindu and anti-national statements” while his deputy D K Shivakumar had spoken out in support of the armed forces as he did not “like the anti-national mentality” of the CM.