BJP activists interrupted on train to Kashmir

Activists of the Bharatiya Janata Party (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 Central Reserve Police Force (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.

The BJP’s youth workers are on their way from West Bengal to Jammu and Kashmir to hoist the tricolour at Lal Chowk in Srinagar amid an appeal by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to show restraint and not attempt to score political points in a sensitive state.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) patriarch L K Advani on Sunday said curbs should be targeted to those who have declared that the national flag would not be allowed to put up at Lal Chowk in Srinagar.

Party senior leader Arun Jaitley also slammed the Prime Minister saying hoisting national flag cannot be a divisive issue and charged the government of “psychologically surrendering to the separatists.”