Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel Criticizes Congress for Alliance with National Conference in Jammu-Kashmir Elections
Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], August 24: Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel launched a strong criticism against the Congress for its alliance with the National Conference (NC) for the Jammu-Kashmir assembly elections. Patel questioned if the Congress supports the restoration of Article 370, as mentioned in the NC’s manifesto. He accused the Congress of being ‘greedy for power’ and playing with the nation’s unity.
Patel stated, ‘The Congress party, which has been out of power, has once again shown its intention of playing with the unity and integrity of the nation. The nation wants to know if the Congress party supports the restoration of Article 370, which is mentioned in the manifesto of the National Conference. The real face of the Congress, which supports autonomy in Jammu and Kashmir, has been revealed.’
Earlier, BJP leader Devendra Rana also criticized the Congress for aligning with the NC, calling the NC’s manifesto ‘a manifesto to consolidate anti-national forces.’ He added that the NC plans to end reservations for Dalits, Gujjars, Paharis, and Other Backward Classes (OBC) in Jammu and Kashmir.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also attacked the Congress over the alliance, questioning Rahul Gandhi’s stance on the NC’s manifesto. Shah highlighted that the Modi government ended years of discrimination against various communities by granting them reservations after the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A.
On Thursday, Congress and the NC announced a pre-poll alliance, with seat-sharing talks currently underway. The alliance was announced after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge met NC chief Farooq Abdullah. The Congress-NC alliance aims to contest all 90 seats in the upcoming assembly elections, which will be held in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1, with results announced on October 4.
Doubts Revealed
Gujarat CM -: Gujarat CM means the Chief Minister of Gujarat, who is the head of the government in the state of Gujarat.
Bhupendra Patel -: Bhupendra Patel is the current Chief Minister of Gujarat, a state in India.
Congress -: Congress is a major political party in India, officially known as the Indian National Congress.
National Conference -: National Conference (NC) is a political party in Jammu and Kashmir, a region in India.
Jammu-Kashmir -: Jammu-Kashmir is a region in northern India, which has its own assembly elections.
Article 370 -: Article 370 was a special provision in the Indian Constitution that gave special autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir. It was removed in 2019.
BJP -: BJP stands for Bharatiya Janata Party, another major political party in India.
Devendra Rana -: Devendra Rana is a leader of the BJP, a political party in India.
Union Home Minister -: The Union Home Minister is a high-ranking official in the Indian government responsible for internal security and domestic policy. Currently, it is Amit Shah.
Amit Shah -: Amit Shah is the current Union Home Minister of India and a senior leader of the BJP.
Manifesto -: A manifesto is a public declaration of policies and aims, usually by a political party before an election.
Reservations -: Reservations in India refer to a system of affirmative action that provides opportunities in education, employment, and politics for historically disadvantaged communities.
90 seats -: In the context of elections, 90 seats refer to the total number of positions available in the Jammu-Kashmir assembly that political parties are contesting for.