Former J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for ‘politicising’ the national flag and accused it of using coercive measures to force people to buy and hoist the Tricolour.
The BJP has taken out various rallies along with the national flag across Jammu and Kashmir which were joined by local leaders of the party.
“Tricolour isn’t just a flag, but a symbol of struggle and sacrifices made by Indians, including the Congress, to earn this freedom. But, the BJP hasn’t just politicised but also highjacked it as if Indians didn’t honour the flag before,” Mehbooba, who is also the president of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said.
She also blamed the BJP for ‘lowering’ the prestige of national flag.
“In Kashmir, the BJP has demeaned and lowered its prestige further by using all types of coercive measures to force people to purchase & hoist it,” she said in a tweet.
Meanwhile, BJP J&K spokesperson Altaf Thakur in a statement said that ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ is no more just a directive. “It has become a passion and given overwhelming response from people at district levels across Kashmir,” he added.
“Huge response is a big slap on the face of those who opposed the move. Time is not far when none other than the people of Kashmir will hoist Tiranga atop houses of those who claimed no one will hold the Tricolour if Article 370 was rolled back. Kashmir is changing for sure,” Thakur said.
