BJP president Nitin Gadkari, who is on a five-day visit to China, today condemned the centre's attempt to stop his party's Ekta Yatra as "repressive" and warned that such an approach would lead to increase in terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Under the UPA regime, secessionists are enjoying royal treatment while nationalist and integrationists are being assailed simply because they have plans to unfurl the national flag at the Lal Chowk in Srinagar," he said.

Gadkari, who is visiting Guangzhou today, also spoke by phone to Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) chief Anurag Thakur who it leading the Yatra, and enquired about the obstacles being raised by the Centre and state government in the onward march to Jammu and Kashmir.

"Now that the government has sent out a horrifyingly wrong signal to the secessionists by refusing the yatra to move ahead, BJP is afraid that this will further boost the anti-nationalist's morale," said Gadkari.

Gadkari warned that the "repressive" step to stop his party's Yatra would lead to increase in terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

"The government has always played to the gallery on this issue and if this trend continues; terrorism may raise its ugly head once again," he said.

Gadkari had flagged off the Yatra from Kolkata on January 12, which is now about to enter Jammu on way to Srinagar.

The government has stepped up security with the BJP not showing any sign of going back on its plan to hoist the national flag at Lal Chowk on Wednesday.

Nearly 5,000 security personnel have been deployed at the border of Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, which has been sealed, to prevent activists of the party's youth wing from entering the state.

Gadkari said the secessionist elements in the Valley will be the happiest lot on January 26, while those who want to hoist flag in their own motherland will be put behind the bars.

The BJP chief said his party had always taken a non-confrontationist approach on the issue of integration of Jammu and Kashmir.

"BJP will not compromise at all and this Tiranga yatra was aimed at just that," Gadkari underlined.

Gadkari, who visited Shanghai yesterday, is accompanied by party leaders, Thawarchand Gehlot, Vijay Goel, Saudan Singh, Arti Mehra, Laxman Kova and political associate Vinay Sahastrabuddhe on his China trip.