Azad: No one can say when or what will happen in politics

BY REPORTER STAFF

Ghulam Nabi Azad, a member of the G-23, a group of disgruntled Congress leaders, has broken his silence on speculations about forming a new party. The former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader, who took a rebellious stand against the Congress leadership, said that he has no intention of forming a new party in Jammu and Kashmir. However, he said that no one can say when and what will happen in politics.

Talking to Media, Azad said that I have no intention of forming a party at the moment, but nothing can be said in politics. In the last two years, there has been a loss of communication between the leadership and the people of Kashmir. When the statehood was abolished with the removal of Article 370 on 5 August 2019. Political activities had come to a standstill in the entire state. Thousands of people were sent to jail and those who were outside the jail were also not allowed to do political activities. That’s why I did the work of waking everyone up.

Azad further said that for me all are Congressmen, but when I come to Jammu and Kashmir, I do not talk about only Congress or a section. On the question of J&K Pradesh Congress President not attending any meeting together, he said that some people have the habit of working less. I am used to working more and fast. There is also a record of holding 16 meetings in a day.

Ghulam Nabi Azad raised questions on the current leadership of the Congress and said that during Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi we had the freedom to question what was wrong.  They never considered criticism wrong. But today the Congress leadership considers it bad. All those who have left the Congress want to work under my leadership. But I do not want to become PCC chief at this age. I thought that I should leave politics, but I am because of my people.

Let us inform that recently, about 20 loyalists of Ghulam Nabi Azad in Jammu and Kashmir Congress have resigned from their party posts in the last two weeks.  In their resignations, the leaders have raised questions about sweeping changes in the Congress, including the removal of Ghulam Ahmad Mir as the state unit chief.  At the same time, Ghulam Nabi Azad had ruled out the possibility of Congress party’s victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Let us not forget that the former Chief Minister is trying to make his presence felt in the politics of Jammu and Kashmir by organizing and addressing rally after rally in erstwhile Doda district and Pir Panchal areas of Jammu & Kashmir UT.

However, these areas were considered Congress strongholds before 2014.  Incidentally, state Congress president Ghulam Ahmed Mir had not seen in any of Azad’s rallies, and it is not difficult for anyone to guess that all is well in the Congress.

Significantly, when Azad was on a visit to Thathri in Doda on November 17, around 20 Congress leaders turn by turn have already resigned from different positions they were holding in the state were considered as loyalists of Azad, though they say they have taken the decision independently. Their argument is that with Mir at the helm, Congress has shrunk in Jammu and Kashmir and only Azad can transform it into a force in J&K and could bring it into power.

However, later, while talking to the media, Mir who is holding the position as J&K PCC president for the past seven years, clarified that only 3 Congress leaders, who were holding positions in the Congress, have resigned from their posts.