V Muraleedharan wants Congress, CPI(M) to make their stand clear on Gupkar alliance

Union Minister V Muraleedharan on Thursday attacked the Congress and CPI(M) accusing them of joining hands with the Gupkar alliance in Jammu and Kashmir.

Addressing the press, Muraleedharan demanded that the Congress and the CPI(M) should make their stand clear on backing 'anti-national forces'. People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) has several Jammu and Kashmir parties as its constituents pressing for restoration of J-K's special status and statehood.

"The Congress is joining hands with the Gupkar alliance led by Farooq Abdullah and other separatists, who have raised weak protests in parliament against the repeal of Article 370 in Kashmir," he said. The union minister alleged that it was not surprising that the left party had joined the alliance, as it had been taking an 'anti-national' stand since the country's freedom struggle.

Hitting out at the parties, he said, "The approach taken by both the parties in Kashmir is against the integrity of the country. This can be read in conjunction with the Congress alliance with the Jamaat-e-Islami for the panchayat elections in Kerala."

The Congress has asserted that it was not part of the Gupkar alliance and was contesting the district development council elections in Jammu and Kashmir to "expose" the BJP through democratic means.

On CPM, he said that it "is also part of Gupkar Alliance but I’m not surprised because CPM is the party which aligned with anti-national forces and the forces which were out to denigrate the national independence struggle in 1942. So they are following that tradition."

(With inputs from PTI)