In a series of tweets on Tuesday Union Home Minister Amit Shah called Peoples’ Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) a “gang” and said that along with Congress they have formed an “unholy global alliance” to push back Jammu and Kashmir into an era of “terror and turmoil”. These tweets have come as the elections for the District Development Councils are going to be held from 28 November in eight phases.
The tweets of the Union Home Minister evoked sharp reactions from two former Chief Ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti. Mehbooba in her tweet said that BJP was trying to wriggle out of main issues faced by the country and resort to remarks like “Gupkar gang”, “tukde tukde gang” and branding all opposing thoughts as anti-national has only one aim that is to divert the attention of people. Omar Abdullah said that PAGD is a legitimate political alliance and not a gang.
Earlier Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra intensified attack on Congress and PAGD ahead of local polls in J&K. Both these leaders of BJP have accused PAGD of saying what Pakistan desires them to. Ravi Shankar Prasad has called them anti-national and asks Congress leaders especially Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi to tell the nation what is their stand on PAGD.
Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala uploaded a two-page statement, rejecting the allegations levelled by Amit Shah accusing Congress of pushing back Kashmir to terror and turmoil.
In the statement, the Congress said that it strongly refutes “concocted and baseless assertions”. Surjewala accused Amit Shah of making mischievous statements on J&K. “Congress was never in favour of international intervention on Kashmir issue and was committed to country’s integrity, sovereignty and tricolour”.
The Twitter war started when the Union Home Minister in a series of tweets not only questioned PAGD for its anti-national remarks but also questioned Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi for being in support of PAGD.
In a sharp reaction to these tweets, Mehbooba Mufti took to Twitter and said, “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. BJP›s stale tactic of dividing India by projecting themselves as saviours and political opponents as internal and imagined enemies is far too predictable now. Love jihad, tukde tukde and now Gupkar Gang dominates the political discourse instead of rising unemployment and inflation.”
Omar Abdullah also hit out at Amit Shah and said that only in J&K political leaders can be called anti-national for participating in elections. “Only in J&K can leaders be detained and called anti-national for participating in elections and supporting the democratic process. The truth is all those who oppose the ideology of the BJP are labelled corrupt and anti-national,” he tweeted
