Updated: November 18, 2020 7:08:08 am
The Abdullahs, Mufti after a meeting on Saturday. (PTI photo)
Ahead of the first District Development Council (DDC) elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Union Interior Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday called the People’s Alliance for the Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) the “Gupkar Gang.” , and said that, together with Congress, he wanted to “Lead J&K into the age of terror and confusion.” Calling it an “ungodly global gathbandhan”, Shah said the PAGD wanted “foreign forces to intervene at J&K.”
Former Chief Ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah, whose parties are part of the PAGD, reacted sharply to Shah’s comments. They both linked Shah’s attack to the DDC elections that began on November 28 – the first political exercise since the Center revoked J & K’s special status under Article 370 on August 5 last year – and the PAGD decision. to put a “united front”.
In a series of tweets, Shah said: “The Gupkar band is going global! They want foreign forces to intervene in Jammu and Kashmir. The Gupkar gang also insults the tricolor of India. Do Sonia Ji and Rahul Ji support such movements of the Gupkar gang? They must make their position very clear to the people of India. “
“Congress and the Gupkar Gang want to bring J&K back to the age of terror and confusion. They want to take away the rights of Dalits, women and tribes that we have secured by removing Article 370. That is why they are being rejected by people everywhere, ”he said.
Congress and the Gupkar Gang want to bring J&K back to the age of terror and confusion. They want to take away the rights of Dalits, women and tribes that we have secured by removing Article 370. That is why they are being rejected by people everywhere.
– Amit Shah (@AmitShah) November 17, 2020
“Jammu and Kashmir has been, is and will always be an integral part of India. The Indian people will no longer tolerate a profane ‘global gathbandhan’ against our national interest. Either the Gupkar Gang swims with the national mood or the people will sink it, ”he said.
The PAGD, a coalition of seven parties that includes the National Conference (NC), the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference and the CPI (M) formed last month, is fighting together against DDC polls. Last week, Congress joined the deliberations on the allocation of seats within the alliance.
Signatories to the Gupkar Declaration joined forces as the ‘People’s Alliance for the Gupkar Declaration’ to challenge the changes introduced in J&K on August 5, 2019 (Express photo: Shuaib Masoodi).
The sources said that the BJP, which saw reduced turnout in the seats in the recent Ladakh Autonomous Development Council elections, will have a hard time facing a united Opposition at J&K.
According to sources, the BJP, which held two press conferences on Monday on the same topic, is eager to see the consolidation of its support base at J&K. To that end, repeated statements are being made on Article 370, a party source said.
READ | With the Gupkar Alliance and Outside of It: How Congress Pressed Against the Wall
In reaction to Shah’s comments, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti tweeted: “Old habits are hard to die. The previous BJP narrative was that the tukde tukde gang threatened the sovereignty of India and now they are using the euphemism of ‘Gupkar Gang’ to project us as anti-national. Irony died a million deaths since it is the BJP itself that violates the Constitution day after day ”.
“Fighting the elections in an alliance is also anti-national now. BJP can sew so many alliances in its hunger for power, but somehow we are undermining the national interest by raising a united front, ”he said.
“The outdated BJP tactic of dividing India by projecting themselves as saviors and political opponents as internal and imaginary enemies is now too predictable. Love jihad, tukde tukde and now the Gupkar Gang dominates the political discourse rather than as unemployment and inflation rise, ”he said.
Fighting elections in an alliance is also anti-national now. The BJP may weave so many alliances in its hunger for power, but somehow we are undermining the national interest by raising a united front.
– Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) November 17, 2020
“I can understand the frustration behind this attack from the Honorable Home Secretary. He was informed that the Popular Alliance was preparing to boycott the elections. This would have allowed the BJP and the newly formed King’s Party to go free at J&K. We didn’t do them the favor, ”Omar tweeted.
“Only at J&K can leaders be arrested and called anti-nationals for participating in elections and supporting the democratic process. The truth is that all those who oppose the ideology of the BJP are labeled ‘corrupt and anti-national’, “he said.
“We are not a ‘gang’ Amit Shah ji, we are a legitimate political alliance who have fought and continue to fight against the elections, much to their disappointment,” said Omar.
Only at J&K can leaders be arrested and called anti-national for participating in elections and supporting the democratic process. The truth is that all those who oppose the ideology of the BJP are labeled “corrupt and anti-national”.
– Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) November 17, 2020
“Participating in a democratic process may be ‘gang’ work for BJP, but for us it is sacred. The consensus and unity of the political parties at J&K has made the BJP nervous. We will fight for the restoration of constitutional rights, regardless of what the authoritarian regime calls us, ”said CPI (M) leader MY Tarigami.
Shah’s attack came a day after the Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad questioned the decision of Congress to contest DDC surveys with the PAGD. At a press conference on Monday, Prasad said: “Farooq Abdullah has no qualms about seeking China’s support for the restoration of Article 370 … Mehbooba Mufti said he will not hoist the Tricolor unless the J&K flag is restored.” . He asked if Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi supported his comments.
The DDC elections will be held in eight phases, from November 28 to December 19, and the count is scheduled for December 22.
While the BJP has announced the names of 160 candidates, including a former minister and three former MLAs, the PAGD has announced 70 candidates for the first three phases, including three from Congress. For the remaining 67 seats, NC presents 35 candidates, PDP 20, People’s Conference 8, while Awami National Conference and J&K People’s Movement have two each.
The DDCs will be made up of elected representatives from 14 territorial districts who will be identified in each district. With the Halqa Panchayat as the basic unit, the district’s annual and five-year development plans will be finalized by a three-tiered system of Gram Panchayats, Block Development Councils, and the DDCs.
© The Indian Express (P) Ltd
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