'Opposition joining hands with separatists over forest issue'

The BJP today accused the opposition parties in Jammu and Kashmir of joining hands with separatist forces to communalise the issue of the eviction of encroachment from the state forest land.
"They (opposition leaders) lost elections and now they have joined hands with separatists and anti-national elements and were trying to communalise the issue of the eviction of encroachment from the state forest land," senior BJP leader Farooq Khan told reporters here.
He alleged that the opposition leaders were playing politics over the issue as they themselves had encroached upon a huge chunk of forest land in the state.
"During the tenure of the last government, a huge chunk of forest land was encroached upon and now they are trying to communalise the issue by saying that Muslims were the target of the encroachment drive," Khan said.

He said the anti-encroachment drive launched by the government had complete support from the Muslim community in the region.
When asked to comment on the reports that some BJP leaders including some legislators and Ministers have also encroached state land, Khan said, "BJP believes in transparency if any such allegation is proven that person will not be allowed to continue in the party."
The J-K government has launched an anti-encroachment drive to evict the encroachment from the state forest land, however, there have been allegations that the drive was aimed at a particular community in Jammu.