Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) activists today courted arrest while protesting against the alleged failure of the Centre to set up an AIIMS here.
Led by JKNPP president, Balwant Singh Mankotia, over 200 activists took out "Jail Bharo Andolan" rally from Shahidi Chowk in Kathua district and culminated at Mini-Secretariat of the District Headquarters.
Over 50 activists, including Mankotia, courted arrested and were taken to the District Police Lines Kathua. Later, they were released, police said.
Meanwhile, the activists also demanded resignation of deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh and Forest Minister Bali Bhagat for failure to implement their commitments and burnt their effigies.
Mankotia also said that in the wake of BJP's "perfidious breach" of written commitment on the procurement of an "appropriate order" from the Centre for establishing AIIMS in Jammu by July 20 followed by its unabated "criminal silence over the issue", JKNPP activist held the protest.
The protesters also accused the BJP of playing the politics of "deceit, duplicity and betrayal" with the people of Jammu region.
Mankotia said that the BJP had only tried to buy time with the intentions to sabotage and cripple the up-surging mass movement triggered by the persistent bias perpetuated to the people of the region.
He also said that civil society of Jammu felt humbled, humiliated and hoodwinked due to the "political gimmicks" of BJP which was unpardonable and as such the Saffron brigade needs to be politically opposed, exposed and deposed by the people in order to regain their lost pride and honour.
Lambasting the sycophantic posturing of Saffron party to keep the unholy alliance intact, Mankotia maintained that the BJP has pusillanimously surrendered all the Jammu centric issues before its coalition partner PDP to play a second fiddle and the stooge in the hands of its coalition partner which shall not be tolerated by the Panthers Party.
