Dr Togadia denied entry in Jammu

NEW DELHI, February 21: Taking strong exception to denial of entry in Jammu Thursday morning, Dr Pravin Togadia, International Working President of Vishwa Hindu Parisahd (VHP) angrily posed: “Has Jammu & Kashmir ceased to be part of India?”

In a press statement issued here immediately after he reached Delhi from Jammu this afternoon, Dr Togadia reminding the Central and State Governments of the unanimous parliamentary resolution on J & K, accused the government of playing into the hands of the separatists by prohibiting him from entering Jammu as per his schedule program.

The firebrand VHP leader said in his usual style that this was violation of “my fundamental constitutional rights” by virtue of which he is free to visit any part of India. He alleged that by not allowing him entry, the Government had violated his religious right too as he could not have ‘darshan’ of Lord Raghunath.

Dr Togadia alleged that the Union and State Governments have connived against him and stopped him from entering Jammu in an obvious attempt to “help the supporters of Afzal Guru who was hanged for his attack on Indian parliament in 2001. BY not allowing him the Government might have tried to assuage the hurt feelings of the Kashmiris, he added.

Earlier, on arrival this morning, the State Police official and Additional District Magistrate handed him the prohibitory order which read: “Your inflammatory and provocative speeches will disturb law and order in the state and also disturb the peace”.

How could the Government tolerate separatist leader Yasin Mallick’s sharing platform with noted ultra and mastermind of Bombay blasts Hafeez Saeed in Pakistan, and allow separatist leaders like Sayyad Ali Shah Gilani to roam freely in India, the VHP leader asked, adding that this was ‘sheer discrimination on the basis on religion and anti-national and anti-Hindu act.

Referring to the plight of Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Togadia said that for long the Hindus have been facing injustice and discrimination in education, jobs, loans and safety. Government was not allowing their plight to reach to Hindus in other parts of India. For the vote bank politics the state government prohibited him from entering Jammu and participate in his scheduled programs.  “Treating me like an infiltrator or a terrorist at Jammu airport, both the Union and State government have hurt the Hindu sentiment” Dr Togadia said adding that the Hindus would give a befitting reply to in a democratic and peaceful way to this ‘anti-constitutional’ and ‘anti-Hindu’ politics of the government. 

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