Cong. rally asks Advani to quit

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, AUG 8. The Delhi Pradesh Congress(I) Committee today demanded resignation of the Union Home Minister, Mr.L.K. Advani, for mishandling the country's internal security situation and particularly in view of the latest killings in Doda and Jammu railway station which had not only eroded the confidence of the people but had also lowered the morale of security forces.

Braving a downpour, hundreds of workers led by Mr. Subhash Chopra, held a demonstration at Jantar Mantar to protest against the failure of the government at the Centre to protect the lives of the innocent people in Jammu and Kashmir.

Interestingly, a majority of the demonstrators were from East Delhi. Very few turned up from the Outer Delhi region which was till few months back in the forefront of mobilising support. The protesters shouted anti-BJP and anti-Centre slogans.

Unperturbed by the rain, the DPCC(I) president, Mr. Subhash Chopra, addressing the protesters, condemned the killing of 15 people in Doda and last night's strike at the heavily guarded Jammu railway station where 10 people were killed. He said the terrorists were openly carrying out their activities and the Centre has just turned a mute spectator.

The Union Home Minister, the self-styled ``Sardar Patel'' who had failed miserably to protect innocent lives in the Jammu and Doda regions, had no moral right to continue in office, he said. The BJP, which had come to power on the plank of security, had compromised the security of the nation, and terrorists were having an upper hand in Jammu and Kashmir.

Mr. Chopra said it was not the first time that a massacre had occurred in Doda. The militants had killed 12 people on July 22 in the district. Despite this, nothing was done to beef up security. The militants were roaming freely in Doda district and had been killing people, with the Centre watching helplessly.

The DPCC(I) president said the Vajpayee Government had proved to be a failure on all fronts, and especially on the security front. Be it Kargil or the killing of BSF personnel by the Bangladesh Rifles, it has all along been a total failure.

Mr. Advani, has failed to visit the site of the Doda massacre which was unfortunate, he said. Other leaders who took part in the protest were Mr. Jagdish Tytler, Social Welfare Minister, Ms.Krishna Tirath, Mr. Jag Parvesh Chandra, Mr. Sajjan Kumar, East Delhi District Congress Committee(I) president and MLA, Mr. Arvinder Singh Lovely, Leader of the Opposition in MCD, Mr. Ram Babu Sharma, Mr. Brahm Pal, Ms. Meira Bhardwaj, Kunwar Karan Singh and Mr. Ajay Maken (all MLAs).

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