Gupkar Declaration anti-BJP, not anti-national:Farooq Abdullah

Farooq Abdullah of the National Conference has been appointed the president of the Gupkar Declaration and former J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti its vice-president. Formed in August of last year ahead of the Abrogation of Article 370, the 'People's Alliance for the Gupkar Declaration' as it is called, is a coalition of political parties from Jammu and Kashmir. The Gupkar Declaration alliance also adopted the flag of the erstwhile state of J&K as its symbol and appointed J&K People's Conference leader Sajjad Lone as its spokesperson. The move is being perceived as an attempt to give a formal structure to the alliance. Left leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami is the convenor of the alliance, while Sajad Lone of the People's Conference has been named as the spokesperson.

Later, Farooq Abdullah told media in Srinagar on Saturday, "Those who have been spreading propaganda that Gupkar alliance is anti-national are wrong. We are anti-BJP and that does not mean being anti-national. They have harmed this country and its constitution. We want the rights of the people of J&K to be returned. That is all. Their attempts to divide us on religion will fail.""When we talk of revival of 370, we also talk of regional autonomy of area in Jammu and Ladakh," Newly-appointed spokesperson Sajjad Lone said,"We will soon come up with a white paper on reality. We will give a research document on what we had and what they have taken away.  Our erstwhile flag of the state will be the symbol of our alliance,"