Public Meetings Back In J&K, Exposes Rift In Gupkar Alliance
NDTV
The former chief ministers - Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and Ghulam Nabi Azad - addressed multiple rallies in the past one week
Three former Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers have hit the political ground running after a series of public meetings in the region. This is first such major public outreach by the opposition since special status to Jammu and Kashmir was scrapped in August 2019.
The former chief ministers - Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and Ghulam Nabi Azad - addressed multiple rallies in the past one week. It was a sort of a display of public support by political parties who were pushed to political margins and irrelevance over the last three years of direct central rule in Jammu and Kashmir.
The meetings, however, have exposed divergent positions of the opposition leaders on Article 370 and also beginning of a blame game between the National Conference and the People's Democratic Party, or PDP, on why Jammu and Kashmir lost its special status. Both the regional parties have formed the Gupkar Alliance for restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's special status.
Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who had opposed the centre's move on Jammu and Kashmir in parliament, has literally given up the demand for restoration of Article 370. Mr Azad says his only demand is restoration of statehood and holding assembly elections.
