AIIMS row: Panthers Party protests, accuses BJP of betrayal

Activists of the Kashmir National Panthers Party staged a protest on Wednesday over the proposed shifting of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) from Jammu to Srinagar, and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of betraying the trust of the people of the state.

"There is a complete shutdown in the entire province of Jammu today. This is against the cowardly surrender of the BJP on all issues before its coalition partner. It is the PDP which is calling the shots. It is the Kashmir centric leadership which is having its final say and whose writ is running in the state," said party leader Harsh Dev Singh.

"They have ensured that their agenda is incorporated in the common minimum program and on all Jammu-related issues are consigned to the dustbin. All the promises made by the BJP prior to the elections have been surrendered and the people feel cheated and betrayed," he added.

A shutdown has been called against the purported shifting of the AIIMS from Jammu to Srinagar.

The proposal has generated widespread criticism against the PDP-BJP coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir, with political parties asking the BJP to clear its stand on the issue.