The People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) – a conglomerate of five mainstream political parties in Jammu and Kashmir – will meet on February 23 to discuss the situation in the wake of the draft report of the Delimitation Commission, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said on Monday. The meeting was earlier scheduled for February 13.
“We are not surprised at the draft recommendation of Delimitation Commission. The PDP has from the outset expressed apprehensions that this Commission is set up to advance the BJP agenda,” she told reporters here. “‘Constituencies have been redrawn in such a way that it would not matter whether they (Muslims in Jammu division) vote or not,”‘ she alleged.
Mufti said the PAGD will meet on February 23 to discuss the situation. The draft report has proposed an overhaul of assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir and has been criticised by most parties including the National Conference, PDP, Congress, Peoples Conference led by Sajad Lone, the CPI(M) and JK Awami National Conference (ANC).
On Monday, hundreds of BJP activists tendered resignation to protest the proposed merger of Suchetgarh assembly constituency in Jammu district.
“They want to convert Gandhi’s India into Godse’s India. Jammu and Kashmir has become a laboratory for that. Just like they have created a mess by the Delimitation Commission here, same will be done soon elsewhere in the country,” the former chief minister alleged.
On the hijab controversy in Karnataka, Mehbooba Mufti alleged that it was an “excuse to keep Muslim girls away from education”‘. She also condemned the recent arrest of journalists.
