Former Chief Ministers hit back at Amit Shah

SRINAGAR — Former Chief Ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday hit back at Union Home Minister Amit Shah for calling the alliance of mainstream political parties in Jammu & Kashmir as “Gupkar Gang.”

In a series of tweets, Omar said he could understand that the frustration behind the attack stems from participation of PAGD in the upcoming District Development Council polls.

“I can understand the frustration behind this attack by the Hon’ble Home Minister. He had been briefed that the People’s Alliance was preparing to boycott elections. This would have allowed the BJP and newly formed King’s party a free run in J&K. We didn’t oblige them,” Omar tweeted.

Omar also said that only in J&K can leaders be detained and called anti-national for participating in elections, supporting the democratic process. “The truth is all those who oppose the ideology of BJP are labelled “corrupt” & “anti-national,” Omar tweeted.

Omar said that PAGD is a legitimate political alliance. “We are not a ‘gang’ Amit Shah ji, we are a legitimate political alliance, having fought & continuing to fight elections, much to your disappointment,” he tweeted.

Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, in her response, said, “BJP can stitch as many alliances in its hunger for power but somehow we are undermining national interest by putting a united front.”

“Fighting elections in an alliance is also anti-national now,” she tweeted.

She said the BJP is trying to project mainstream leaders in Jammu and Kashmir as anti-nationals. “Old habits die hard. Earlier BJP’s narrative was that the tukde tukde gang threatened India’s sovereignty & they are now using ‘Gupkar Gang’ euphemism to project us as anti-nationals. Irony died a million deaths since its BJP itself that violates the Constitution day in & day out,” she tweeted.