Gupkar gang remark: Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti slam Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday described the Gupkar alliance of seven political parties as 'Gupkar Gang'. This statement faced a Twitter backlash from PDP President Mehbooba Mufti, and NC vice president Omar Abdullah who described the Union Minister as being frustrated.

Srinagar: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday described the Gupkar alliance of seven political parties as 'Gupkar Gang', Jammu and Kashmir leaders hit back. People's Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti responded with an equal number of tweets, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using 'euphemism' and 'stale tactic'. National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah termed it as 'frustration' of the minister at the J&K alliance's decision to contest elections.

"Old habits die hard. Earlier BJP's narrative was that the 'tukde tukde' gang threatened India's sovereignty and 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 and day out", Mehbooba said in a tweet.

• Old habits die hard. Earlier BJPs 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 https://t.co/LoODFZuPmd

  — Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) November 17, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  Old habits die hard. Earlier BJPs 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 https://t.co/LoODFZuPmd

  — Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) November 17, 2020

  ">

  Old habits die hard. Earlier BJPs 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 https://t.co/LoODFZuPmd

  — Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) November 17, 2020

While questioning the criticism of the alliance, she said fighting elections in an alliance "is also anti-national now".

"BJP can stitch as many alliances in its hunger for power but somehow we are undermining national interest by putting up a united front," she tweeted, adding, "The BJP's stale tactic of dividing India by projecting themselves as saviours and political opponents as internal and imagined enemies was far too predictable now. "

• Fighting elections in an alliance is also anti-national now. BJP can stitch as many alliances in its hunger for power but somehow we are undermining national interest by putting up a united front.

  — Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) November 17, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  Fighting elections in an alliance is also anti-national now. BJP can stitch as many alliances in its hunger for power but somehow we are undermining national interest by putting up a united front.

  — Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) November 17, 2020

  ">

  Fighting elections in an alliance is also anti-national now. BJP can stitch as many alliances in its hunger for power but somehow we are undermining national interest by putting up a united front.

  — Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) November 17, 2020

"Love jihad, tukde tukde and now Gupkar Gang dominates the political discourse instead of like rising unemployment and inflation", she asserts.

Omar too took to the social media to counter to Shah's attack.

"We didn’t oblige them. I can understand the frustration behind this attack by the 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", he tweeted.

• 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 & newly formed King’s party a free run in J&K. We didn’t oblige them. https://t.co/OrLBPAIFVn

  — Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) November 17, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  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 & newly formed King’s party a free run in J&K. We didn’t oblige them. https://t.co/OrLBPAIFVn

  — Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) November 17, 2020

  ">

  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 & newly formed King’s party a free run in J&K. We didn’t oblige them. https://t.co/OrLBPAIFVn

  — Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) November 17, 2020

He further said: "It was only in J&K that leaders could be detained and called anti-national for participating in elections and supporting the democratic process. The truth is all those who oppose the ideology of the BJP are labelled corrupt and anti-national."

• We are not a “gang” Amit Shah ji, we are a legitimate political alliance having fought & continuing to fight elections, much to your disappointment.

  — Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) November 17, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  We are not a “gang” Amit Shah ji, we are a legitimate political alliance having fought & continuing to fight elections, much to your disappointment.

  — Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) November 17, 2020

  ">

  We are not a “gang” Amit Shah ji, we are a legitimate political alliance having fought & continuing to fight elections, much to your disappointment.

  — Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) November 17, 2020

"We are not a 'gang' Amit Shah Ji, we are a legitimate political alliance having fought and continuing to fight elections, much to your disappointment," he said while referring to the Gupkar alliance.Earlier in the day, Shah asserted that Jammu and Kashmir have been and will always remain an integral part of India and termed an alliance of political parties of the Union Territory as 'Gupkar Gang' saying it is an 'unholy global gathbandhan' against the country's national interest.

Amit Shah Tweets on Gupkar

In a series of tweets, Shah also questioned Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi whether they support the PAGD (PAGD), a conglomerate of regional and national political parties in Jammu and Kashmir formed to demand the restoration of the Article 370, scrapped last year. This comes at the time when maiden District Development Council (DDC) elections are going to be held in Jammu and Kashmir from November 28.