Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Jammu and Kashmir Police detained Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers who were allegedly trying to hoist the national flag at the clock tower at Lal Chowk in Srinagar on Monday.
Chanting slogans of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai', the workers tried to unfurl the tricolour.
Meanwhile, the BJP workers were also seen hoisting the national flag at the People's Democratic Party (PDP) office in the city.
Recently, People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti, who was released from detention on October 13, said that she will not hoist or raise the tricolour till the flag of Jammu and Kashmir was restored.
Mufti has announced that she will not contest polls till Article 370 was reinstated and the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was restored. She was detained in August last year after the government abrogated Article 370 and revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
This development comes after National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah has been chosen as the President for Peoples' Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD). He had declared to fight together for the restoration of Article 370, calling the decision to repeal it 'unconstitutional'.
Last week, seven mainstream political parties in the state formed Peoples' Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) and demanded the government of India to return all the rights of people of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh which they had enjoyed until last year.
"We have named this alliance as the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration. Our battle is a constitutional battle, we want the government of India to return to the people of the State the rights they held before 5th August 2019," Abdullah said while addressing the media.
Peoples' Alliance for Gupkar Declaration said that they were 'anti-BJP', but not 'anti-national'.
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Meanwhile, BJP workers successfully hoisted the national flag in Jammu on Monday. It was the second attempt in two days.
On Sunday a group of youth activists led by Amandeep Singh attempted to hoist the tricolour at the PDP office in Jammu's Gandhi Nagar but were stopped by the police.
"Today, BJP workers successfully hoisted the flag at the PDP office. They were protesting continuously against Mehbooba's controversial statement from the past two days outside the PDP office," police sources said.
According to the sources, BJP workers were requesting permission to hoist the flag which was granted today.
On Friday, at a press conference, Mehbooba had said: "Until we get our own flag back, we won’t raise any other flag. This flag forged our relationship with that flag." Following which BJP accused the PDP president of making 'seditious remarks'.
(With inputs from agencies)
