Gupkar alliance has betrayed people of Jammu and Kashmir: Apni Party’s Altaf Bukhari
On the fourth foundation day of the Apni Party, Altaf Bukhari said that People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration has betrayed the people of Jammu and Kashmir yet again
Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari launched a scathing attack on People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) after differences between the constituents — National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) — became apparent.
On the fourth foundation day of the Apni Party, Bukhari said that PAGD has betrayed the people of Jammu and Kashmir yet again.
“Once again they have poured water over the expectations of people of Jammu and Kashmir. This has been their record. History has told us that they are deceivers. PAGD was a point of resistance but unfortunately today these traitors betrayed the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” he told the media after the foundation day event in Srinagar.
The seat sharing tussle in the lead-up to the Lok Sabha polls came to the fore after NC decided to contest all three seats from the Valley, not leaving any room for PDP.
NC, PDP, Communist Party of India-M, Jammu and Kashmir Awami National Conference and had come together under the PAGD umbrella to fight for the restoration of the region’s special status under Article 370 which was revoked on August 5, 2019.
Altaf Bukhari, who formed Apni Party around the same time, said, “There was hope the PAGD are forming a point of resistance to express dissent (against the changes), but today they didn’t even hold its funeral. The group did not last even mere five years not to talk of bringing back Articles 370 or 35 A.”
Bukhari said after forming the party on March 08, 2020, they were ridiculed for promising to practise “the politics of truth”.
“When we formed the party our core agenda was development and people’s issues, reservation of jobs for locals and preservation of land for locals. We managed to achieve two issues - job reservations and land preservation,” he said, adding, “We are also fighting for the issues of people like for the youth languishing in jails and for statehood.”