BHARAT SURAKSHA YATRA
April 6 -- May 10, 2006

Press Statement issued by Shri L.K. Advani
Leader of the Opposition (Lok Sabha)
At a press conference in Neemuch,
Madhya Pradesh on May 1, 2006

Killing of 22 Hindus in Doda district is part of the terrorists' "religious cleansing" campaign in Jammu & Kashmir

Shri L.K. Advani, senior BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition (Lok Sabha), has reacted sharply to the massacre of 22 Hindus in Doda district on Sunday night and described it as being part of "a sustained and systematic campaign of ‘religious cleansing' in Jammu & Kashmir by terrorists".

He was addressing the media on his arrival in Neemuch (Madhya Pradesh), on Monday morning. Neemuch is the last stop of his Bharat Suraksha Yatra, which covered over 1,000 kms in the state over five days. He is scheduled to enter Rajasthan in the afternoon.

"What has happened in Doda is similar to the campaign to drive away Kashmiri Pandits from Kashmir valley," he said, adding that the gruesome terrorist act has underscored the need and relevance of his 35-day Yatra, which he has undertaken jointly with the BJP President Shri Rajnath Singh.