E-Paper
Will announce name of political party in 10 days: Ghulam Nabi Azad in Kashmir
Azad pitched for restoring statehood of J&K, but added that he would not mislead people with false promises on the issue.
Setting his political agenda in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Sunday pitched for restoring statehood, but added that he would not mislead people with false promises on the issue.
Speaking at his first rally in the Union Territory after his exit from the Congress, Azad hit out at detractors who accuse him of staying silent on the statehood issue — the Centre revoked the state’s special status under Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcated it into two Union territories on August 5, 2019.
“Today, some leaders are asking why I don’t speak on Article 370. Ghulam Nabi Azad will never mislead people for the sake of votes. We have already lost one lakh people and have fifty thousand widows and four to five lakh orphans here. Thousands lost their homes. Leaders should not give such slogans [on issues] that are not in our hands,” he said at the rally in the Dak Bungalow area of Baramulla.
Flanked by half a dozen former Congress legislators and ministers, Azad added that the name of his political party would be announced in 10 days.
Azad resigned from the Congress on August26 blaming senior leader Rahul Gandhi for leading to a decline in the party’s decision-making process. Atleast one dozen legislators and 1,500 leaders had quit the Congress to follow Azad.
The veteran politician, who also served as chief minister of the erstwhile state of J&K, said on Sunday his agenda is to fight for restoring statehood as well as the business and land rights of the people. “Now, even contractors and labourers come from outside to work in J&K. Where will locals go,” he said.
Restoring statehood for J&K requires a two-thirds majority in Parliament, Azad said and added: “This means, the party must have more than 350 Lok Sabha seats. From the last 10 years, the tally of the Congress has not crossed 50. So how can I mislead people that ‘I will restore Article 370’? Where will I will get those MPs from?”
He further hit out at the Congress saying that the party had 73 seats in the Rajya Sabha when he was elected but it subsequently kept losing ground. “The party lost elections in state after state and the tally of members came down to 30-32 seats. Next year, the tally of Congress will be 20. And for restoration of Article 370, I need 175 votes in Rajya Sabha. Where will I get those numbers from? Those leaders who make claims about restoration of Article 370 should ponder whether they will be able to win their own seats,” he said.
He said people making claims about the issue were trying to mislead people. “It’s a ploy to create another ground for agitation, death and destruction,” Azad said.
“Whether I will lose or win, my politics will be based on truth. People have given lot of blood. Now, if people will give me support, I will give my blood for them,” he added.
Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari was among the leaders who had hit out at Azad for not doing enough to protect J&K’s statehood and special status in the Rajya Sabha.
Though Ghulam did not name Bukhari or any other leader during his Sunday rally, he said those unaware about the working of the Upper House should refrain from passing comments.
Talking about the time immediately after August 5, 2019, Azad said he made several attempts to visit J&K but to no avail. “I wasn’t allowed. I came twice to Srinagar, once along with a parliamentary delegation, but we were sent back from the airport. Last, I moved to Supreme Court and only on the court’s orders, I was allowed to visit Srinagar, Baramulla, Anantnag and Jammu,” he said.
Recalling his time as CM of J&K from 2005-2008 and as Union health minister from 2009-2014, Azad spoke about the various development projects undertaken at the time — establishment of new districts, medical colleges, roads, bridges, Tulip garden, new assembly complex, Hajj house and Yatri bhawan, among others.
Speaking about the rally, former MLA Shoaib Lone said: “For us, it was a successful rally. Despite rain, people in large numbers came to listen to Azad’s speech. Its a good beginning of ‘team Azad’ from north Kashmir and the momentum will quicken once more rallies are held in different parts of the Valley.”
Congress spokesman Sheikh Amir termed Azad’s rally a “flop show”.
“Whatever Azad said today (Sunday), it was contradiction of his speech in Parliament after Article 370 was revoked. About developmental works that he proudly counted, it was all because of the Congress government that Azad got the oppurtunity to become chief minister of J&K and then [Union] health minister.”
Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson, Altaf Thakur, said that Azad only endorsed what BJP was saying about Article 370. “Its already dead. NC [National Conference] and the PDP [Peoples Democratic Party] should give a logical answer on how they will restore this Article now. Azad has shown reality to people.”
