Srinagar: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti has reacted to Home Minister Amit Shah’s scathing attack on the Gupkar Alliance earlier on Tuesday. Writing on Twitter that “old habits die hard”, Mufti asked whether contesting in polls had also become “anti-national”.
Hitting out at Amit Shah’s party, the BJP, Mufti said it was the ruling party at the Centre that continues to violate the Constitution. She further accused the BJP of going in for alliances “in its hunger for power”.
“Old habits die hard. Earlier BJPs narrative was that the tukde tukde gang threatened India’s sovereignty & they are now using ‘Gupkar Gang’ euphemism to project us as anti nationals. Irony died a million deaths since its BJP itself that violates the constitution day in & day out (sic),” Mufti tweeted, hours after Amit Shah’s scathing attack at the J&K alliance, which he dubbed as “Gupkar Gang”.
“Fighting elections in an alliance is also anti-national now. BJP can stitch as many alliances in its hunger for power but somehow we are undermining national interest by putting up a united front,” the PDP president and former chief minister of the erstwhile J&K state added.
Mufti rued that the BJP had added ‘love jihad, tukde tukde and Gupkar Gang’ to the political discourse instead of focussing on issues that concern the common man.
“BJPs stale tactic of dividing India by projecting themselves as saviours & political opponents as internal & imagined enemies is far too predictable now. Love jihad, tukde tukde & now Gupkar Gang dominates the political discourse instead of like rising unemployment & inflation,” the PDP leader stated in another tweet.
Former J&K CM and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah also tweeted and said: “I can understand the frustration behind this attack by the Hon’ble Home Minister. He had been briefed that the People’s Alliance was preparing to boycott elections. This would have allowed the BJP & newly formed King’s party a free run in J&K. We didn’t oblige them.”
I can understand the frustration behind this attack by the Hon’ble Home Minister. He had been briefed that the People’s Alliance was preparing to boycott elections. This would have allowed the BJP & newly formed King’s party a free run in J&K. We didn’t oblige them. https://t.co/OrLBPAIFVn
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) November 17, 2020
Earlier, Shah had hit out at the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, an amalgamation of seven mainstream Jammu and Kashmir political parties, and categorically stated that J&K will always remain an integral part of India.
“The Gupkar Gang is going global! They want foreign forces to intervene in Jammu and Kashmir. The Gupkar Gang also insults India’s Tricolour. Do Sonia Ji and Rahul Ji support such moves of the Gupkar Gang ? They should make their stand crystal clear to the people of India (sic),” Shah said in his first of three tweets.
“Congress and the Gupkar Gang want to take J&K back to the era of terror and turmoil. They want to take away rights of Dalits, women and tribals that we have ensured by removing Article 370. This is why they’re being rejected by the people everywhere.
“Jammu and Kashmir has been, is and will always remain an integral part of India. Indian people will no longer tolerate an unholy ‘global gathbandhan’ against our national interest. Either the Gupkar Gang swims along with the national mood or else the people will sink it,” he added.
The People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration came into existence on October 15 to seek the restoration of erstwhile state’s special status granted via now-abrogated Article 370. The grouping includes National Conference, People’s Democratic Party, People’s Conference, Awami National Conference, CPM, CPI and J&K People’s Movement.