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BJP’s Tricolour plan foiled; Swaraj, Jaitley arrested
Tribune News Service & PTI

"It is for the first time in the history of Independent India that hoisting the Tricolour is being dubbed as a crime. Thousands of our party activists holding the Tricolour have been arrested in Jammu. Our constitution makers would not have imagined that the National Flag would be humiliated in such a manner." — Arun Jaitley

Lakhanpur (J&K), January 25
BJP's high-decibel campaign to hoist National Flag at Srinagar's historic Lal Chowk was today foiled by the Jammu and Kashmir government which arrested Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley and hundreds of party activists at the state border with Punjab amid high drama.

As they were arrested here soon after entering J&K, Swaraj and Jaitley lashed out at the Omar Abdullah government as also the Centre, accusing them of making a "historic mistake" and a "psychological surrender" to separatists.

Swaraj vowed to make another attempt to hoist the flag in Srinagar tomorrow.

A day after being thrown out of the state, Swaraj, Jaitley and senior party leader Ananth Kumar tried to re-enter the state along with the Ekta Yatra being led by the party's youth wing president Anurag Thakur, but failed.

They were arrested for violating Section 144 that prohibits assembly of more than four persons at any particular place. They were taken to Kathua and would be produced in a court there tomorrow.

“What can be more unfortunate that those who burn the National Flag are being provided security while those holding the National Flag are being stopped,” said Swaraj.

“What is our crime? Why are we being arrested? We have been marching peacefully,” Swaraj said.

Earlier, Swaraj and Jaitley addressed a public meeting at Madhopur and vowed to go ahead with the plans to unfurl the Tricolour at Lal Chowk in Srinagar.

"Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said if you visit the state, the separatists will be provoked. This shows the psychological surrender (by the state government) before the separatists...it is a historic mistake," Jaitley, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said.

BJYM activists continued to raise slogans against the state government and the Centre.

Jaitley said when a "group of separatists" gathered in New Delhi and made anti-India speeches, the government did not take action contending that freedom of speech was their right.

“But when we took the Tricolour to unfurl it at Lal Chowk, they dub it as a crime,” he said.

He said, “It is shameful that for the first time after Independence, hoisting the Tricolour has become a crime in India. The state government and the Centre are dishonouring the National Flag."

Thakur also slammed the state and the Centre.