Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley arrested in Jammu;released

January 25, 2011 IBNS

A political drama unfolded in Jammu airport on Monday night with senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders who reached here for Srinagar to address rallies ahead of the party’s controversial move to hoist the national flag at Lal Chowk in Srinagar prevented from venturing out and later taken into custody.

BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Ananth Kumar refused permission to venture out after they reached the airport on a special flight. They were taken into custody, latest reports said.

“Arrested – cars – separate – dont know where to?” tweeted Sushma Swaraj Monday night. 17 minutes ago via web

“‘You are under arrest’ they say,” she tweeted.

“They have got our baggage. Its loaded in three cars. What next ?” she earlier posted on Twitter.

The leaders went there to address a rally in the run up to their to Ekta Yatra that is headed for Srinagar to hoist the tricolour on Republic Day.

The leaders were allowed on the terminal after they sat on a dharna at the tarmac.

“This is like an Emergency situation,” said BJP leader Ananth Kumar commenting on the government move to intercept them at the airport.

After what the BJP trio described as a “dharna” on the tarmac while the Union Home Minister P Chidambaram ruled out a public meeting. Chidambaram also spoke to the BJP leaders and asked them to come back.

Earlier, the party source said: “Leaders of Opposition of both Houses and senior party functionary Ananth Kumar today (Monday) left for J&K to take command of the flag hoisting programme.”

BJP President Nitin Gadkari on Monday congratulated the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) activists for peaceful yet effective demonstration of the nationalist spirit by the Ekta Yatris and strongly condemned the ?repressive approach of the Central and state government.”

Gadkari had flagged off the Yatra from Kolkata on January 12, which is now about to enter Jammu on way to Srinagar.

BJP Chief made a phone call to the President of the Yuva Morcha Anurag Thakur and enquired about the obstacles being raised by the Central Government and the Government of Jammu and Kashmir in the onward march of the Srinagar bound Ekata Yatra.

The BJP President is on a five-day visit to China at the invitation of the Communist party of China and the government of the PRC.

Expressing anguish about the stand taken by the State as well as the Central governments, Gadkari enquired about the harassment faced by the Ekata Yatris, thousands of whom had set out for Srinagar to hoist the National Flag and rekindle the Nationalist spirit in J & K.

Gadkari said ?Under the UPA regime, secessionists are enjoying royal treatment while nationalist and integrationists are being assailed simply because they have plans to unfurl the National Flag at the Lal Chowk in Srinagar.

?Secessionist elements in the valley will be the happiest lot on January 26 while those who want to hoist flag in their own motherland will be put behind the bars.?

He pointed out that while BJP had always taken a non-confrontations approach on the issue of complete integration of Jammu-Kashmir, BJP will not compromise at all and this Tiranga yatra was aimed at just that.

?Now that the government has— sent out a horrifyingly wrong signal to the secessionists by refusing the yatra to move ahead; BJP is afraid that this will further boost the anti-nationalist’s morale. The government has always played to the gallery on this issue and if this trend continues; terrorism may raise its ugly head once again,? Gadkari warned.

Meanwhile, over 5,000 security personnel have been deployed at the border of J&K and Punjab to avoid untoward situations.

“Nearly 5,000 security personnel of CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) and police have been deployed all along the Punjab-JK border. It has been fully sealed ahead of the arrival of Rastriya Ekta Yatra at Lakhanpur inter-border terminal in Kathua district,” a senior police official told reporters.

He said: ?Riot control vehicles, water cannons and deployment of companies of CRPF and police has been done on all entry points from Punjab into J&K.

?We will not allow peace in JK to be disturbed. The state government has already directed the security agencies to ensure that there is no trouble in the state by hoisting of the tricolour in Srinagar by BJYM.?

Activists of the BJP’s youth wing from Karnataka on way to Srinagar to hoist the national flag at Lal Chowk had their journey interrupted by the authorities in the wee hours of Sunday when they reached the border of Maharashtra.

Apparently the railway officials with the assistance of the CRPF and policemen changed the train’s engine and the coach with the BJP members instead of proceeding towards Kashmir were sent back to Karnataka, media reports said.

The incident occurred at Sarola near Ahmadnagar.

The train was bound for Gulbarga in north Karnataka instead of Jammu, reports said.

Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called on Union Home Minister P Chidambaram and apprised the latest law and order situation arising out of proposed “Ekta March” in the state on the Republic Day.

The BJP’s youth workers plan to end their march at Lal Chowk, where, in 1948, Jawaharlal Nehru promised Kashmir a plebiscite. The BJP is determined to hoist the tricolor at Lal Chowk here to prove Kashmir is an integral part of India.

The BJP yatris plan to enter the state on Jan 25 from the border town of Lakhanpur in Jammu. They will then head towards Srinagar.

But the government is determined not to allow the BJP march to get in the state.High drama unfolded in Jammu on Monday night after senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, who reached here to address rallies ahead of the party’s controversial move to hoist the national flag at Lal Chowk in Srinagar, first confined in the airport and then taken into custody, only to be released on the Jammu and Kashmir-Punjab border.

According to the tweets of BJP leader Sushma Swaraj late in the night, they were taken to the Punjab border at Madhopur and released.

BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Ananth Kumar were refused permission to venture out after they reached the airport on a special flight.

After spending hours in the airport they were taken into custody, to be released later at Madhopur.

Sushma Swaraj, however, said they would again try to enter Kashmir and tweeted”Vande Maatram”.

“We did not come for a Satyagraha. We have come for Tiranga Yatra. Wont give up. Come what may. We will enter J&K again,” she posted on Twitter.

“This place is called Madhopur. Just dumped on j&J – Panjab border [sic].” she tweeted.

While being arrested, Swaraj tweeted: “Arrested – cars – separate – dont know where to?”

“‘You are under arrest’ they say,” she posted, adding “They have got our baggage. Its [sic] loaded in three cars. What next ?”

The leaders went to Jammu to address a rally in the run up to their to BJP Yuva Morcha Ekta Yatra that is headed for Srinagar to hoist the tricolour on Republic Day.