Projecting opponents as enemies is old BJP tactic, Mehbooba hits back at Amit Shah over Gupkar Gang remarks

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday hit back at Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his 'Gupkar Gang' remarks, saying such comments were aimed at diverting people's attention from rising unemployment and inflation.

Mehbooba said the "BJP's stale tactic of dividing India by projecting themselves as saviours and political opponents as internal and imagined enemies is far too predictable now."

"Love jihad, tukde tukde and now Gupkar Gang dominates the political discourse instead of (issues) like rising unemployment and inflation," she said.

The PDP chief also wondered whether fighting elections in an alliance is also anti-national now. "BJP can stitch as many alliances in its hunger for power but somehow we are undermining national interest by putting up a united front," she said.

"Old habits die hard. Earlier BJP's narrative was that the tukde tukde gang threatened India's sovereignty and they are now using 'Gupkar Gang' euphemism to project us as anti-nationals. Irony died a million deaths since it's BJP itself that violates the constitution day in and day out," she tweeted.

She was reacting to a series of tweets by Amit Shah calling the alliance of political parties in Jammu and Kashmir as 'Gupkar Gang'.

Shah also said it is an "unholy global gathbandhan" against the country's national interest and questioned Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi whether they support the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), formed to demand the restoration of Article 370, scrapped last year.