‘Gupkar gang’ wants to take J&K back to era of terror, turmoil: Amit Shah
   Date :18-Nov-2020

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NEW DELHI :
 
“The country will no longer tolerate an unholy ‘global gathbandhan’ against India’s national interest. Either the Gupkar Gang swims along with the national mood or else the people will sink it” --Home Minister Amit Shah 
 
UNION Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday termed the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), a conglomerate of political parties in Jammu and Kashmir, an “unholy global alliance” and alleged that it, along with the Congress, wants to take Jammu and Kashmir back to the era of terror and turmoil. In a series of tweets, Shah alleged that the “Gupkar Gang is going global” and wants foreign forces to intervene in Jammu and Kashmir. The conglomerate of regional and national political parties in Jammu and Kashmir was formed defending the restoration of the Article 370, scrapped last year. “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,” he said. Shah said Jammu and Kashmir has been, is and will always remain an integral part of India and the people of the country will no longer tolerate an unholy ‘global gathbandhan’ against India’s national interest. “Either the Gupkar Gang swims along with the national mood or else the people will sink it,” he said. The Home Minister also questioned Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi whether they support the PAGD.
 
“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,” he said. On August 4, 2019, a day before the Central Government announced the abrogation of the Article 370, which gave Special Status to Jammu and Kashmir, political parties in Kashmir, except the BJP, met at the residence of National Conference President Farooq Abdullah at Gupkar Road in Srinagar. They had also issued a joint statement defending Article 370. The constituents of the conglomerate include the National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party, CPI(M), J&K People’s Conference and Awami National Conference.
 
The Congress recently announced that it will have a seat sharing arrangement with the PAGD for the forthcoming elections to the DCC in Jammu and Kashmir. National Conference’s Farooq Abdullah is its chairman and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti vice-chairperson. Veteran CPI-M leader M Y Tarigami is its convenor while People’s Conference leader Sajjad Gani Lone is the spokesperson. Shah’s remarks appropriate: BJP The BJP termed Shah’s remarks on the Gupkar alliance as appropriate and said after the abrogation of Article 370, a number of pro-people central laws came into force in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
 
Welcoming Shah’s statements on the Gupkar alliance, BJP leader and Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told a press conference that his remarks are appropriate as PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti had made it clear that she will not raise the national flag until the separate flag of Jammu and Kashmir is restored. Prasad also claimed that NC leader Farooq Abdullah had once stated that he will seek China's support for the restoration of special status of Jammu and Kashmir.