BJP blames Congress policies for present crisis in J-K
19 Aug 2008, 2036 Hrs

The BJP on Tuesday blamed the "partisan" and "short sighted" policies of the Congress for the present crisis in Jammu and Kashmir.

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New Delhi, Aug 19 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday blamed the "partisan" and "short sighted" policies of the Congress for the present crisis in Jammu and Kashmir.

The BJP spokesperson, Ravi Shankar Prasad, told a news conference here, "The politics and policies of the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir have been partisan and lacking in foresight."

"The Congress' policies have weakened nationalist forces and boosted the morale of the separatist forces," Prasad added.

The BJP also condemned Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari for stating that the Hurriyat Conference and Amarnath Sangharsh Samiti were like two sides of the same coin.

The Amarnath land row has polarised the Muslim majority Kashmir and Hindu majority Jammu regions leading to protests and violence in both the regions of the state.

On Monday, thousands of protestors marched past the United Nations office in Srinagar.

Earlier this month, wide scale protests over the Amarnath land issue led to violence and a riot like situation in the state.

Meanwhile, protests have also raised tensions between India and Pakistan.

India has criticised Pakistan for interfering in its internal affairs by calling for U.N. intervention in the region.

The dispute began after the Jammu and Kashmir Government ordered the transfer of forestland to Shri Amarnath Sangharsh Samiti (SASS), the trust that runs Amarnath, a cave shrine visited by pilgrims.

Following controversy provoked by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Separatists the government reversed its decision.

This in turn, angered people of the Jammu region who attacked lorries carrying supplies to the Kashmir valley and often blocked the region's highway, the only surface link with the rest of India. (ANI)