BJP leader asks Rahul Gandhi to clear stand on Art 370, PAGD before leading his yatra into J&K

Jammu, Jan 8 (PTI) With Rahul Gandhi-led ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ scheduled to enter Jammu and Kashmir in a fortnight, a senior BJP leader on Sunday asked the former Congress president to make his stand clear on the repeal of Article 370 and the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) before the march enters the union territory.

BJP-led central government revoked special status of J&K under Article 370 of the constitution and bifurcated the state into two union territories in August 2019.

The PAGD is an amalgam of five political parties — National Conference, PDP, CPI(M), CPM and Awami National Conference — formed to press for the restoration of the special status.

BJP leader Devender Singh Rana termed Gandhi’s march a “Bharat todo yatra”, and said, “Rahul Gandhi should clarify his stand over the repeal of Article 370 before entering into the Union Territory for his yatra.”

“This is all the more important as the Congress bandwagon is joining the PAGD gang in this sensitive part of the country, which is hand-in-glove with those openly supporting radical Jihadis and beating chests for the terror mentors of Pakistan, responsible for the mayhem and bloodbath in Kashmir and parts of the Jammu region,” he said.

He said it will be “interesting” to watch Gandhi hoisting the tricolor in Srinagar, as announced by the Congress, on the last day of the yatra while being flanked by the leaders like Mehbooba Mufti, who is on record saying there will be nobody to raise ‘Tiranga’ (tricolor) if the Article 370 is tinkered with.

“The tricolor is, however, flying high. As high as 100 meters in the picturesque Gulmarg as also in the rest of the Valley, hoisted by the enthusiasts, ready to sacrifice their lives for its sanctity and glory,” he said.

Rana said the BJP has infused a sense of belonging in every segment of society and heralded a new era of peace and stability in J&K.

“The fillip in Kashmir economy due to a record influx of tourists showcases the sincere efforts of the BJP in bringing normalcy and exposes the trio pseudosecularists for their machinations of keeping the Valley in boil,” he said, adding, “J&K is at the threshold of becoming part of India’s growth story.”