Jammu, 19 September (H.S.): Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president Tariq Hameed Karra on Saturday led an anti-BJP protest outside the party headquarters in Jammu, alleging that a poster put up by the saffron party's local unit sought to link Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav with militancy.

The protest came amid the Congress' ongoing Chaupal Pe Charcha public outreach programme across Jammu, through which the party has been taking up issues including restoration of statehood, unemployment, recruitment concerns, rising prices and other public grievances.

Karra alleged that the BJP's JK unit had displayed photographs of Gandhi and Yadav, along with photographs of leaders of parties belonging to the INDIA bloc, and placed photographs of alleged terrorists below them.

The display was intended to create an impression that Gandhi, Yadav and the Congress were linked with militancy, he told reporters while leading the protest at Shaheedi Chowk party headquarters in the heart of the city.

Scores of Congress workers and senior leaders, including JKPCC working president Raman Bhalla, joined the protest, raising slogans against BJP and the central government.

Karra suggested that the BJP's action could be linked either to the growing reach of the Congress' Chaupal Pe Charcha programme or an attempt to divert public attention from larger issues.

The JKPCC chief also attacked the BJP over its claims of nationalism, questioning the party's historical record. The BJP, which is trying to teach us a lesson in nationalism, should first remember its own past, Karra said.

Referring to the 1999 hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight and subsequent release of arrested terrorists, including proscribed chief of Jaish-e-Mohammad terror group Masood Azhar in Afghanistan, Karra alleged that the then BJP-led government's handling of the crisis had contributed to the militancy-related situation faced by the country.

Rahul Gandhi comes from a family that saw two prime ministers sacrifice their lives for the security and unity of this country, Karra said.

The Congress leader alleged that the BJP and its predecessors had no comparable role in India's freedom struggle, accusing them of siding with the British.

He challenged the BJP to identify individuals from its political tradition who, according to him, made comparable sacrifices during the freedom movement.

The Congress leader also referred to alleged links between BJP figures and individuals whom he described as associated with militancy, like Ilyas Khan and Talib Hussain, who were arrested by security forces in Jammu and Kashmir.

If we start talking about this, the matter will go a long way, Karra noted.

He asserted that Congress would continue its protests across Jammu and Kashmir against what he described as the BJP's politics of hatred and attempts to divert attention from public issues.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar