Jammu:
Members of the BJP attacked the car of the Finance Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Abdul Rahim Rather, in Jammu this evening. The minister's car was passing by the BJP office in the city when activists tried to damage it. The minister drove away unhurt.
The activists had just left the BJP office after being addressed by senior party leaders Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj. Both leaders were released this morning after being arrested last evening as they crossed into Jammu yesterday from Punjab as part of their party's Ekta Yatra.
Their mission was to get to Srinagar's Lal Chowk to hoist the flag there - a location declared off-limits by the Centre and State government on the grounds that it could disturb the fragile peace in the Valley.
At the party office today, Ms swaraj and Mr Jaitely said that their arrest was unprecedented. Police sources say their comments provoked their party workers who spilled onto the street outside as the minister's car approached.
This morning, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called up Mr Jaitley and thanked him for ensuring that the Ekta Yatra had ended peacefully. Mr Abdullah says he invited the BJP leaders to join official Republic Day celebrations in either Jammu or Srinagar, but his offer was refused.
The BJP says Mr Abdullah's offer could not be taken seriously since its leaders were in custody at a local hotel at the time.
The party has also accused the State government of a "psychological surrender" to separatists by not allowing the BJP to hoist the national flag at Lal Chowk.
In 1948, this is where Jawaharlal Nehru promised Kashmir a plebiscite. Separatists base their agenda on this.
The BJP says that by flying the national flag here on Republic Day, it wanted to send a clear message to the separatists that Kashmir is an integral part of India.
The activists had just left the BJP office after being addressed by senior party leaders Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj. Both leaders were released this morning after being arrested last evening as they crossed into Jammu yesterday from Punjab as part of their party's Ekta Yatra.
Their mission was to get to Srinagar's Lal Chowk to hoist the flag there - a location declared off-limits by the Centre and State government on the grounds that it could disturb the fragile peace in the Valley.
At the party office today, Ms swaraj and Mr Jaitely said that their arrest was unprecedented. Police sources say their comments provoked their party workers who spilled onto the street outside as the minister's car approached.
This morning, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called up Mr Jaitley and thanked him for ensuring that the Ekta Yatra had ended peacefully. Mr Abdullah says he invited the BJP leaders to join official Republic Day celebrations in either Jammu or Srinagar, but his offer was refused.
The BJP says Mr Abdullah's offer could not be taken seriously since its leaders were in custody at a local hotel at the time.
The party has also accused the State government of a "psychological surrender" to separatists by not allowing the BJP to hoist the national flag at Lal Chowk.
In 1948, this is where Jawaharlal Nehru promised Kashmir a plebiscite. Separatists base their agenda on this.
The BJP says that by flying the national flag here on Republic Day, it wanted to send a clear message to the separatists that Kashmir is an integral part of India.
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