BJP, VHP give shutdown call on Amarnath land issue

Jammu, June 29: The BJP and the VHP on Sunday gave a shutdown call on Monday here and demanded the removal of Amarnath Shrine Board Chairman and Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra after the board gave up its claim on the forest land allotted to it. "We want removal of Vohra for succumbing to pressure ... This is most shameful act as he has succumbed to few protests of fundamentalists, political parties and separatists," state BJP President Ashok Khajuria said reporters here. The party gave a call for a shutdown here on Monday to protest the decision. He said the BJP will soon launch a nationwide agitation on the issue and demanded dismissal of the Ghulam Nabi Azad-led Congress government in the state. The shutdown call was supported by state VHP President Ramakant Dubey, who also demanded that Vohra be replaced. Bureau Report

Where Kashmiri Muslims only wanted a revocation of the allotment of land to the shrine, the ever appeasing Congress took away whatever little independence the shrine had by taking over the control of the shrine. With parties like the Congress in power, why would the separatists want to waste their manpower by waging acts of terrorism? The Congress is ready to hand them independence on a platter. - K.Venugopal - Mumbai