SRINAGAR: All is not well in the Gupkar Alliance as talks of five parties alliance unitedly contesting the forthcoming Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir have taken a big hit as National Conference (NC) has given a clear hint of contesting the Assembly polls alone in the Union Territory.
NC’s provincial committee meeting under the chairmanship of party vice president and former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was held at the party headquarters, here.
An NC spokesperson said the participants in the meeting expressed dismay over the recent statements, audio jingles and speeches made by some of the constituents of the Gupkar Alliance targeting NC.
"It was felt that these statements and speeches do not contribute to the overall unity of the amalgam. The participants denounced the unfair treatment meted out to NC in PAGD and demanded immediate course correction from PAGD constituents," he said.
The provincial committee members, according to the NC spokesperson, unanimously resolved that the party should prepare and fight all 90 Assembly seats. The Gupkar Alliance chairman Farooq Abdullah and vice chairperson Mehbooba Mufti had hinted that the alliance would unitedly contest the Assembly polls. Both had given statements about the alliance contesting the polls together.
An NC leader told TNIE that the Gupkar Alliance was not formed for contesting polls but for fighting for the restoration of Articles 370 and 35A. "It is not a poll alliance," he said and cited a statement of Gupkar Alliance spokesman and CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami on August 5 this year that the alliance was not formed for electoral exercise but to safeguard the special constitutional position of J&K.
Asked what unfair treatment was meted out to NC by the Gupkar Alliance constituents, he said, "The leaders of other parties in their rallies have given statements against NC and even audio jingles were aired in such rallies. The parties are unnecessarily targeting NC. They are blaming NC for rigging 1987 polls and linking it with the granting of voting rights to non-locals. They should not target NC and are unnecessarily raking up 1987."
He, however, said the party is committed to safeguarding J&K’s constitutional position The Gupkar Alliance was formed in October 2020 by seven parties to fight for the restoration of Articles 370 and 35A and statehood to J&K. However, two parties Peoples Conference and J&K Peoples Movement have quit the alliance since then.