The BJP leader, in a series of tweets, also targeted the Congress — a signatory of the Gupkar Declaration — asking the party to clarify its position on the issue.
Amit Shah, the union home minister, today hit out at the political leaders of Jammu and Kashmir with a string of accusations that included getting “foreign forces to intervene” in the issue of the scrapping of Article 370, taking away the rights of women and Dalits and bringing back “terror and turmoil” in the Union Territory. The BJP leader, in a series of tweets, also targeted the Congress — a signatory of the Gupkar Declaration — asking the party to clarify its position on the issue.
“Congress and the Gupkar Gang want to take J&K back to the era of terror and turmoil. They want to take away the 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,” Mr Shah tweeted.
Mehbooba Mufti, the former chief minister of J&K, hit back immediately with an equal number of tweets, where she accused the BJP of using “euphemism” and “stale tactic”. Omar Abdullah, the National Conference leader Omar Abdullah pointed to the “frustration” of the minister at the J&K alliance’s decision to contest elections.
“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,” Amit Shah’s tweet read.
His cabinet colleague, Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, extended her support and said: “Well said, @AmitShah ji. The @INCIndia has increasingly found comfort in the ‘break-India'(‘tukde-tukde’) naxal groups. They have exposed their continuing tendency to associate with forces which seek external help to upset India. People of India seek an answer from @INCIndia.”
Mehbooba Mufti, in her tweets, accused the BJP of double standards when it comes to election.
“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,” Mufti’s tweet read.
“Love jihad, tukde tukde & now Gupkar Gang dominates the political discourse instead of like rising unemployment & inflation,” she further added.
“Only in J&K can leaders be detained & called anti-national for participating in elections & supporting the democratic process. The truth is all those who oppose the ideology of the BJP are labelled “corrupt & anti-national”,” she said.
On August 4, 2019, after an all-party meeting at the Gupkar Road residence National Conference patriarch Farooq Abdullah, the Gupkar Declaration was signed on August 4, 2019.
The Centre, two days later, ended the special status of the state granted under the Constitution and bifurcated it into two Union territories.
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