National Conference (NC) chief Farooq Abdullah on Saturday said the Peoples’ Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) is anti-BJP, but not an anti-national amalgam, PTI reported. Abdullah spoke after the first meeting of the alliance on Saturday, in which he was declared its president and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehmooba Mufti, his deputy.

The meeting took place at Mufti’s residence.

“I want to tell you that this false propaganda by the BJP that the PAGD is anti-national. I want to tell them that this is not true. There is no doubt that it is anti-BJP but it is not anti-national,” said Abdullah, PTI reported.

Accusing the saffron party of trying to break the federal structure, the leader said, “They have tried to destroy the constitution of the country, they have tried to divide the nation, to break the federal structure which we saw what they did on August 5 last year.”

The BJP-led central government on August 5, last year, abrogated Article 370 that accorded special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. It also divided the state into two union territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

“I want to tell them that this (PAGD) is not an anti-national jamaat. Our aim is that people of Jammu Kashmir, and Ladakh should get their rights back. That’s where our battle is, our battle is not for more than that,” Abdullah said.

Abdullah said the BJP was doing propaganda against the constituents of the PAGD in Jammu and elsewhere in the country.

“They are trying to divide us (people of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh) in the name of religion. This attempt will not succeed. This is not a religious battle, this is a fight for our identity and for that identity, we are standing together,” he said.

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The PAGD was formed on October 15 by the mainstream political parties in Kashmir. Its aim is the restoration of the special status of the erstwhile state as it existed before August 5 last year and also to initiate a dialogue between all stakeholders on the issue.