Patna, Jan. 22: Hundreds of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) members today departed for Jammu and Kashmir to hoist the Tricolour at Lal Chowk in Srinagar on January 26.

The members reached Patna Junction with BJP flags and banners. There were loud chants of Vande Mataram and Bharat mata ki jai.

The supporters also shouted slogans like Kashmir jayenge, tiranga ferayenge (We shall go to Kashmir, we shall hoist the flag).

The state president of BJYM, Sunil Kumar, who was also accompanying the group, said: “Bihar youths have decided to hoist the flag at Lal Chowk and we will do that even if we have to sacrifice our lives for that. Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah and separatist leader like Yasin Mallik cannot stop us. Hoisting the flag is our constitutional right and no law or government can take away this right from us.”

He added: “To hoist the flag, no citizen of this country needs permission, Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and every citizen is free to hoist the national flag in any part of the country. Under no circumstances, the flag hoisting ceremony at Lal Chowk would be stopped. It is a national event now and obstruction against it would be pulled down with all might.”

Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha president Anurag Thakur has already lead Rashtriya Ekta Yatra, which began on the 12th of this month from Calcutta.

Earlier, during his Patna visit, Thakur had said he would surely hoist the flag at Lal Chowk and nobody could stop them because the yatra was to stop anti-national voices in Kashmir.

Giving patriotism top priority, the state general secretary of BJYM, Saket Singh, said: “This is a challenge that I have accepted from the separatists, it is a challenge for India. It is our right to hoist the national flag in any part of the country and we would do so at Lal Chowk. Hosting the flag at Lal Chowk will send a message across the world about national integrity with patriotism in Indian youths.”

He added that activists of the morcha were not scared of any threats by separatists and will march to Kashmir without any fear of life to save the unity and integrity of the country.

He said the youths all over the country have made up their mind to hoist the Tricolour. The BJYM members took Archana Express at 7am today. Meanwhile, state party spokesperson Sanjay Mayukh said thousands of BJYM members are going to Srinagar from different districts in Bihar to support the yatra.