Shah's remarks against PAGD reflect his 'frustration': NC

November 17, 2020 21:50

The National Conference on Tuesday rejected the allegations made by Union home minister Amit Shah against the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration as a "bout of frustration" on account of the coalition's participation in the District Development Council elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

The PAGD supporting the democratic process, and consequently blocking the BJP and the "king's party" from having a free run in J-K, has "irked" the Union home minister, the NC said in a statement in an apparent reference to the Apni Party floated by former finance minister Altaf Bukhari.

The statement was issued jointly by the party's general secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar, provincial presidents Nasir Aslam Wani and Devender Singh Rana, party MPs Mohammad Akbar Lone and Hasnain Masoodi, and women's wing president Shameema Firdous.

The NC was reacting to a series of tweets by Shah calling the alliance of political parties in Jammu and Kashmir as 'Gupkar Gang'.

Shah also said it is an "unholy global gathbandhan" against the country's national interest and questioned Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi on whether they support the PAGD, formed to demand the restoration of Article 370, scrapped last year.

Seeing "imminent drubbing" in the DDC elections and having been snatched of the biggest propaganda tool, the assertions made by the home minister were quite anticipated, the joint statement by the NC leaders said.

"Amit Shah has woken up late in the day to attack the PAGD because it seems that contesting elections in Jammu & Kashmir is a crime and is unconstitutional. The frustration on his part is quite understandable because the BJP and its newly constituted team B in J-K were quite certain that PAGD will boycott the elections and allow them a free run," the leaders said.

They said the BJP was in the process of launching a vicious campaign against the PAGD, but the regional parties have taken a big propaganda tool away from the national party by participating in the elections and fighting them as an alliance.

"This is what has sent him into tizzy," the statement said.

The joint statement also said that the PAGD was not a "gang", but a group of political parties who have all through nurtured the frail sapling of democracy in Jammu and Kashmir by putting their lives at stake.

"We all have fought elections and will continue to do so. We won't allow pliant stooges and minions of BJP to grab the sacred democratic space and profit from the poll boycott," they said. -- PTI

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