Cracks appeared within the Gupkar alliance, formed to fight against the revocation of the erstwhile state Jammu and Kashmir's special status, as leaders of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and National Conference (NC) traded barbs against each other in public on Monday.
The PDP and the NC are the two main parties of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), which was formed after the Center abrogated J&K’s special status under Article 370 in August 2019.
However, the inherent contradictions between the NC and the PDP started surfacing immediately after the formation of the alliance when the two parties fielded proxy candidates against each other in the first ever district development council polls held in November-December 2020.
The difference between the two parties surfaced in open on Monday when senior PDP leader and its youth wing president Waheed Para alleged that those people who are responsible for the 1987 election rigging, pushing youth to the gun by dispossessing democratic setup and bringing POTA to Kashmir, were after elections only for power.
“Most of the parties are begging for elections, quarters and security only,” Para said while speaking at the PDP’s 24th Foundation Day, here.
This is the first time after the formation of PAGD that any senior PDP leader, who is also a close associate of the party president Mehbooba Mufti, has targeted the NC for offering an olive branch to the BJP.
Responding to Para’s allegations, the NC accused him of creating confusion among the Opposition ranks. “It seems Waheed Para's intention was to sow confusion among the Opposition ranks,” the NC chief spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said.
Talking to Twitter, Dar wrote, “If you feel suffocated within the alliance, simply walk away instead of resorting to fake narratives to justify your actions.”
“While we are aware of your historical blunders, our priority was unity,” he added.
Para’s outburst could have stemmed from NC’s persistent demands for elections, whereas PDP wants restoration of J&K’s statehood and special status, besides unification, before holding the polls.