Dr. Abdullah, Mehbooba take jibes at Centre, critics

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference (NC) president Dr. Farooq Abdullah, who’re touring Jammu to conduct a gathering of the Peoples Alliance for the Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), on Friday took jibes at the Centre and at the critics of their alliance.

“If the government claims that everything is fine and normal, then why are you scared of us? You don’t allow us to protest and silence us using police and troopers. The government should allow the people of J&K to express themselves freely. Our leaders were held for holding peaceful protests against the land laws,” mentioned Ms. Mufti.

She warned that choking the voice of the individuals and pushing individuals to the wall “may not augur well”.

“People are the ultimate source of power and you can’t silence them using brute force. How can you take decisions against the wishes of the people? It seems democracy is there only on paper now,” Ms. Mufti mentioned.

BJP agenda being pursued

Speaking in Jammu, Ms. Mufti mentioned those that supported the abrogation of Article 370 “will repent tomorrow”. She mentioned not the Constitution however the Bharatiya Janata Party’s agenda was being adopted throughout the nation.

Dr. Abdullah, who chaired a gathering of his occasion staff in Jammu, took jibe at these criticising him as “anti-national” for his remarks.

“If they think themselves to be so powerful, why don’t they show it to the enemy on the borders? On the contrary, our party has not only shown but faced the tribals in 1947 to save Srinagar. Now, Farooq Abdullah is a Pakistani, Chinne (of China) and what not today,” Dr. Abdullah mentioned.

Dr. Abdullah mentioned he was not afraid of anybody and would battle for the restoration of rights to the individuals of J&K for all his life.

“The NC (National Conference) represents the ethos and aspirations of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. The political environment in J&K is in a flux again, a year after the spiteful and unconstitutional nullification of Articles 370, 35A,” he mentioned.

Clarifying Gupkar alliance

On the Gupkar alliance, he mentioned it had no territorial and non secular bearings. “We have come together to restore what was spitefully snatched from us on the 5th of August. We are not fighting an exclusive battle. Our unity has sent the people at the helm of affairs to a tizzy, which is why they are naming us as anti-nationals,” he mentioned.

He mentioned no quantity of “witchhunt and obnoxious propaganda” may deter him from preventing for the way forward for the individuals in Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh. “No one can browbeat the Gupkar declaration to silence. It is reflective of the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. Our fight is not against the nation, it is against the BJP that aims to divide us,” he added.

In his address, NC vice president Omar Abdullah said a wrong impression was being created with regard to Articles 370, 35A. “Both Articles are part of the Constitution of India and not of any other country. So we are not seeking anything outside it, we are fighting for what was there in the Indian Constitution,” he added.

He cautioned the individuals of Jammu towards the land legal guidelines and mentioned that any inflow would come via the area, being the gateway to Jammu and Kashmir.

This is the primary time because the leaders have travelled to Jammu since their launch from detention. The PAGD can also be holding an all-party assembly on Saturday in Jammu to chalk out a future plan of action.