India / Congress not a part of Gupkar Alliance: Surjewala on Amit Shah's remarks

New Delhi: Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala on Tuesday said that the Congress party is not a part of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD). In a press statement on Tuesday, Surjewala hits out at Union home minister Amit Shah over asking Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi and party leader Rahul Gandhi to clear their stand if they support the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration.

Surjewala in the statement in Hindi said, “Congress party is not a part of Gupkar alliance or People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration.”

Hitting out at the BJP government in the Centre, the Congress leader said, “To spread lies, fraud and creating new illusions have become the way of the Modi government. It’s a shame that Home Minister Amit Shah is keeping aside the responsibility of the national security and is making false, misleading and mischievous statements on Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.”

While asserting that Congress is fighting the DDC elections in Jammu and Kashmir and said, “The Indian National Congress favours democratic elections in Jammu and Kashmir and for this purpose the Congress Party is contesting the District Development Council elections.... in a democratic manner.”

Earlier in the day, Amit Shah said that the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration wants foreign forces to intervene in Jammu and Kashmir and asserted that Indian people will no longer tolerate an “unholy global gathbandhan” against national interest.

Taking to Twitter, Shah asked Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi and party leader Rahul Gandhi if they support the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration which, he said, insults India’s tricolour.

“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,” Shah tweeted.

“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 in another tweet.

“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,” Shah said.

Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Ghulam Ahmad Mir said that People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration will contest Dist Development Council (DDC) poll and will try to defeat those who have been forcefully implementing laws in Union Territory (UT).

“Today Farooq Saab (Farooq Abdullah) called the meeting to give final touches to the seat-sharing, and by and large we are satisfied. In politics, there is nothing that is100 per cent satisfactory, but the peaceful environment in which the whole arrangement has been finalized, gives us hope that all the parties in the alliance of will try to defeat those who’ve been forcefully implementing Acts and laws in UT and policies which don’t seem to be in favour of people here,” said Mir after the meeting called at National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah’s residence in Srinagar.

The mainstream parties, including the National Conference, PDP, Peoples Conference and CPI(M), formed the PAGD last month and are fighting the maiden DDC elections together.

The DDC elections will be conducted in Jammu and Kashmir in eight phases between November 28 and December 19, and the counting of votes will take place on December 22.