The Jammu office of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has suddenly become a new battleground to exhibit the spirit of 'patriotism' in Jammu & Kashmir.
For the last two days ding dong battles have been going on between the PDP leaders and the local youth representing different organisations who are converging there to hoist a tricolour in the PDP office.
To prevent any attack on the PDP office the security personnel had spread concertina wire but the same failed to deter the enthusiasts from climbing the boundary wall of the PDP office.
The events took an ugly turn soon after the PDP Chief made an announcement that she would not raise the national flag until Jammu & Kashmir's flag, constitution and the special status were restored.
On Saturday she along with other constituents of the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration also adopted the flag of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir as its party symbol.
After the battle lines were drawn by the rag-tag coalition of Kashmiri politicians some of the political activists in Jammu reacted to the sudden political development.
The first incident of flag hoisting in the PDP office was reported late Saturday evening by the local media.
A small group led by an activist Amandeep Boparai climbed the boundary wall of the PDP office and attempted to hoist the tricolour. Some of the PDP leaders including former MLC Firdous Tak rushed out of the office complex and resisted such efforts. They even exchanged hot words with these activists and directed the security personnel on duty at the gate to evict them from the party office. Boparai told reporters, “we will not tolerate the insult of the tricolor. They are trying to convert the PDP office into another Lal Chowk of Srinagar where we cannot hoist a tricolor”.
After the activists left the place the tricolor was apparently brought down by the PDP leaders. Ironically, PDP leaders from Jammu had hoisted tricolor outside the party office at a simple ceremony on August 15, 2020 and also recited National Anthem on the occasion. On Sunday even posters of the PDP leaders were painted with different colors and several flags were hoisted by these activists to register their protest against the PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti.
On Sunday, the situation turned grim when several small groups including supporters of Amandeep Boparai took out a Tiranga rally and assembled outside the PDP office and hoisted several tricolors.
Activists of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) also arrived there to register their anger and painted the faces of PDP leaders in different colors.
The police personnel present in large numbers were seen making half hearted efforts to prevent these activists from hoisting the tricolor.