Jammu and Kashmir's Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh today said that the anti-national activities like raising Pakistani flags and pro-Khalistani slogans by the separatists have been going on since long.
"I want to put the facts straight. So far as the anti- national activities are concerned, they (separatists and some sections of Sikhs) are doing it (raising of Pak flags and slogans in Kashmir and Bhinderanwala's posters and pro Khalistan slogans) since long," Singh said here.
"The question is whether the government is acting or not? We have acted. We arrested Masarat Alam and put him behind bars. We have lodged FIRs against others. They are being tried. Law will take its own course," Dy CM said.
"They (some elements) are doing it here (in Jammu). So far as this (coming up of Bhinderanwala posters and pro- Khalistani slogans) issue is concerned, we have filed FIRs against those involved," Dy CM said.
He was replying to a question whether BJP has tolerated such issues of raising Pak flags and Pak slogans in Kashmir Valley and Bhindranwale posters and 'Khalistan Zindabad' slogans in Jammu.
He said, "We did not do any programme on the government side. These programmes are happening in the Gurudwaras. They were doing some programmes during the day in connection with operation blue star and they were doing it routinely".
"Once the posters (of Bhinderanwala) were there, the police definitely acted and they had to act and ultimately that become the cause for this entire incident," he said.
Deputy Chief Minister further said, "Who says that we had allowed this? They were doing it (raising of posters of Bhinderanwala and Pro-Khalistan slogans) earlier also and they were not seeking any permission for it from anybody. And will ask the previous governments why they allowed it to happen in Gurudwaras."
"But when this flared up, our priority was to cool down the tempers. That was our first priority. We never wanted those elements who wanted to vitiated the atmosphere and trying to divide the state on the same lines that used to happen in past, to succeed. That was our strategy," he said on violence triggered in direction in Jammu.
