SRINAGAR: VHP Friday threatened to launch a massive agitation and enforce an economic blockade in Jammu and Kashmir if the assembly allowed a discussion to revoke provisions criminalizing bovine slaughter and sale of beef in the state.
“We warn the state government that Jammu would observe a black day and the people of the region would be forced to take to the streets if the Assembly Speaker allowed a discussion on an anti-beef ban bill,” Leela Karan Sharma, president of VHP’s state unit told reporters in Jammu on Friday.
“If the beef ban is revoked, VHP would enforce an economic blockade of Kashmir, forcing people to starve. The people of Jammu would not tolerate it…The government will have to face consequences,” he said.
“People will be forced to take to the streets and launch an agitation similar to the one in 2008 if slaughtering of bovines continued unabated in the region,” Sharma said.
He said it was a “sensitive” issue related to religious and emotional sentiments of Hindus. “Nobody should be allowed to play with the sentiments of over one billion Hindus across the globe,” he said.
In the meanwhile, the Kashmir Traders Federation (KTF) has expressed anguish over the harassment of Kashmiri traders by the autocratic officials at Lakhanpur checkpost while importing goods into the state.
The KTF is deeply anguished over the harassment at Lakhanpur check post as the goods of traders from the Valley are stopped with which the autocratic officers have no sympathy, said Aijaz Shahdhar, Publicity Chief of KTF said in a statement.
He said that the Commercial Taxes Department has set yearly target of tax collection at the post and in order to achieve it they put extra penalties and fines on the traders.
Traders every year pay Rs 5000 crore as the tax, putting extra penalties on them is a conspiracy to weaken the economy of the business fraternity of the Valley, Shahdhar said.
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