BJP to postpone anti-UPA protest

A day after Maoists targeted a Congress convoy in Chattisgarh's Bastar, killing several top leaders, the BJP Sunday announced it had decided to postpone its week-long, nation-wide agitation against the Congress-led UPA scheduled to start May 27.

"The entire country is deeply distressed and concerned over gruesome killings in Chhattisgarh and we condemn it. As a consequence, the BJP has decided to postponed the 'jail bharo' agitation to be undertaken against the failure of the UPA government from May 27 to June 2," BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters here.

The party's future programmes will be decided in the party's national executive to be held in Goa next month, he said.

According to Prasad, "the entire challenge to country's republic and democracy due to gruesome violence by Maoists was discussed at a party meeting chaired by party chief Rajnath Singh".

"It is a great attack on democracy and republic of India," he said.