Don't hoist tricolour at Lal Chowk: Omar to BJP

Appealing to BJP to abandon its plans to hoist the tricolour at Lal Chowk here, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah today said the party has exposed its intention to create trouble in the Valley.

Appealing to BJP to abandon its plans to hoist the tricolour at Lal Chowk here, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said the party has exposed its intention to create trouble in the Valley.

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"It is strange that after 19 years, when BJP hoisted flag in Lal Chowk in 1992, it has again struck to them (BJP) to hoist the flag in Lal Chowk. It has exposed their intention of creating trouble," Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.

The chief minister appealed to the BJP to stop its youth wing's 'Rashtriya Ekta Yatra' as it would harm the improved situation in Kashmir that has attained normalcy after serious endeavours and hard work.

"I appeal the BJP that it is after serious endeavours that situation in Kashmir has improved. They should not create trouble and stop the Yatra as they have no benefit by continuing it," Omar said.

BJP president Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday flagged off the 3,037-km 'Rashtriya Ekta Yatra' from West Bengal to Kashmir to hoist the national tricolour at Srinagar's historic Lal Chowk on Republic Day.

While handing over the national flag to Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha president Anurag Thakur, Gadkari had said the yatra is a symbol of "national unification" and an expression that shows that India was one from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.