SRINAGAR: All is not well in Farooq Abdullah-led People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) with National Conference Provincial President for Jammu Devender Singh Rana raising a banner of revolt, asking those “talking against the country” to pack bags and go to Pakistan.
“There will be no compromise on national interest. It is unacceptable. It is my country and no one will be allowed to say anything against the nation. It can’t be that you will live here, you will eat here and you will also speak against the country. We will not tolerate it. We are not Hurriyat. We are a mainstream party and we should behave like that. If you want to be a separatist, then go to Pakistan,” Rana, who is also the brother of MOS in PMO Jatinder Singh, told a local channel in Jammu.
The statement comes after the National Conference President Farooq Abdullah was elected head of PAGD with PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti as vice president and People’s Conference chairman Sajad Lone as its spokesman.
Rana’s diatribe also comes after PAGD adopted the erstwhile state flag as the symbol of alliance.
“PAGD is supposed to fight back against the onslaught, asking some tough questions to the Nation. How can you do that when it is called `anti-national’ by the participants itself and send you to Pakistan. Make things black & white. This is not the moment to maneuver in the grey,” tweeted Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, senior National Conference leader who recently quit as party’s chief spokesman.
Aga said the ambiguity and double standards within the ranks is a great disservice to J&K at this crucial hour. “Is this fighting RSS or is it being RSS? This ambiguity and double stands within the ranks are a great disservice to J&K at this crucial hour which will shape the future of generations to come. We can’t fight Sanghi extremism and also speak for them at the same time,” he said.
‘People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration’ had been formed on October 15 by six major political parties. Prior to the stripping of J&K’s special status on August 5 last year, the leaders had met at the Gupkar residence of National Conference president Farooq Abdullah here and drafted the declaration.
On October 23, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti said she will not hold the Indian tricolor till the flag of the erstwhile J&K state was returned to its people.
Earlier on September 23, Farooq had stirred up a hornet’s nest by claiming that Kashmiris are being treated as “slaves” and they do not feel or want to be Indian. In an interview with The Wire, he said that Kashmiris would rather prefer to be ruled by Chinese, a point he reiterated when he was asked if he really meant this.
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