On Saturday, six members of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration held a meeting in Jammu and decided to contest the upcoming District Development Council (DDC) elections jointly.
Alliance spokesperson Sajad Lone said that the PAGD has decided to contest the upcoming DDC elections jointly. Even though the timing of the elections is unusual, still he said that the sacred space in democracy should not be allowed to be invaded by divisive forces.
In 2018, both the National Conference (NC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) boycotted the panchayats and urban bodies elections in the name of Article 370.
The alliance meeting for discussing elections was organized at NC patron and the alliance’s President Dr Farooq Abdullah’s house. It was attended by the leaders of PDP, People’s Conference, NC, Awami National Conference, J&K People’s Movement and Communist Party of India – Marxist.
Naeem Akhtar, senior PDP leader, said that a landslide win for the alliance will be a suitable reply to the BJP on its August 5 robbery by the people of J&K.
The leaders of alliance also organized many meetings with the delegates of Sippis, Kashmiri Pandits, Gujjars, Bakerwals, Sikhs, Gaddis, SC and OBC communities, IAS aspirants and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
Lone said that the representatives were assured that the alliance will fight to restore Article 370 and dignity of the people.
G. A. Mir, J&K Congress President, kept himself away from the alliance meeting. He held a separate press conference to announce his party’s decision to participate in the upcoming DDC elections.
This was the third time when Congress maintained distance from the alliance meeting; it shows that the party is trying to separate itself from the politics of alliance. Mr. Mir said that they want to teach BJP a lesson, especially for their land laws.
Many activists from the Shiv Sena, Ikkjutt Jammu and Rashtriya Bajrang Dal organized a protest against the alliance’s meeting. Many of them were arrested when they tried to move towards the house of Dr Abdullah.
Tarun Chug, BJP national general secretary, called the alliance a group of day dreamers. He said that there are not any chances of restoration of Article 370 and 35A.
