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A person has even moved the courts against the alleged remarks.
The Hazratbal shrine is one of the most sacred ones in Jammu and Kashmir. Katiyar had allegedly said in Srinagar that the holy relic at the shrine was not that of Prophet Mohammad but of a Hindu seer, who, he said, had settled in Mecca.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, while condemning the reported remarks, said they went against the secular ethos of the country.
Minister of State for External Affairs Omar Abdullah raised the matter on the sidelines of an NDA meeting on Wednesday night with BJP chief whip in the Lok Sabha Vijay Kumar Malhotra and demanded appropriate action against Katiyar.
"In Jammu and Kashmir, we have a strong bond of secularism and such a remark against the holy shrine was infringing on the faith of millions of people and a deliberate act to stoke communal passions," Abdullah said.
Meanwhile, in a significant statement, Displaced Kashmiris Peoples United Front convenor Ashok Kak said the executive committee of the party 'expresses its deep anguish over Katiyar's remark and warns such forces to desist from these kinds of blunders as the holy relic of Prophet Mohammed is equally sacred to Kashmiri Pandits'.
The Kashmiri Pandit community cautioned BJP leaders against 'this kind of cheap politics' and appealed to President K R Narayanan to take strong action against the MP 'who is bent upon creating communal hatred in the country'.
Meanwhile, National Conference MPs held a meeting on Thursday night to discuss the issue and work out a strategy to face the impending crisis.
A bandh has been called on Friday to protest against the remarks.
Former Union Minister Saif-ud-din Soz said the remarks, coming in the wake of recent communal riots in Gujarat, reflected badly on the BJP's intentions.
RELATED REPORT Katiyar clarifies on Hazratbal shrine remarks
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