Don’t take yatra to Srinagar : Chidambaram tells Arun Jaitley

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram has called upon the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders to return to Delhi and asked the Jammu and Kashmir Government to maintain law and order situation.

Chidambaram said on Monday that he had spoken to the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley over phone, telling him that the orders passed by the state Government should be respected.

The Home Mininster also talked to J & K chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

Chidambaram said he told Jaitley that they should not defy the orders of the State Government, which was the best judge to decide whether there was a threat to law and order and public peace.

He also regretted the BJP leaders’ denial to hold a press conference at Jammu airport before they were removed to Madhopur in Punjab.

Chidambaram said it was to maintain law and order that the J&K Government would not allow any yatra to Srinagar.

” It would be most unfortunate if the BJP leaders defy the restrictions placed by the State Government or deliberately cause a breach of the peace. There is no justification whatsoever to push a political agenda that will certainly affect peace and law and order in the State of Jammu & Kashmir,” he said.

He quoted a statement of the Prime Minister on Jan 22 which had said the Republic Day is a day of celebration and not an occasion for divisive politics.

” I would request the two Leaders of the Opposition ( Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley) and their colleagues to give up the path of confrontation, return to Delhi and join the celebrations in Delhi on Republic Day,?Chidambaram said.