‘Closed chapter’: J&K Cong chief on buzz over Azad’s return; DPAP too issues denial
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 18
Amid talks of a possible homecoming for Ghulam Nabi Azad, the Congress and Azad’s own Democratic Progressive Alliance Party on Sunday scotched speculation saying there was no merit in this grapevine.
“It is a closed chapter. After DPAP has said no, the question of alliance or merger doesn't arise,” Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra said today after DPAP chief spokesperson Salman Nizami said Azad was not rejoining Congress.
“These rumours are being spread by the Congress leaders of Jammu and Kashmir for the last two weeks. It is also being said that Azad was approached by the central Congress leadership to rejoin the party,” Nizami said.
He added that ever since Azad left the Congress, neither he has approached any Congress leader nor has any Congress leader approached him directly or telephonically. These rumours and meant to create confusion and break our party, Nizami said.
Central Congress sources when contacted wondered whether Azad could return to the party after making unfavourable and caustic references to the Gandhis.
They didn’t, however, completely rule out possibilities of a turnaround in future, saying politics is an art of possibilities. They added that if at all that happens, it would be between Azad and the Gandhis, primarily Rahul Gandhi.
“The issue of Ghulam Nabi Azad and everything related to him is between the Gandhi family and Mr Azad, who had chosen to walk out of the party, making caustic remarks about the Gandhi family on the launch of his book, Azaad,” said a Congress leader.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has called a meeting on Monday with the screening committee members of J&K to discuss the assembly poll strategy. Sources said the issue of Azad — his return or otherwise — may come up during the meeting which will also decide on the potentialities of a pre poll alliance with the JK National Conference.
“Although it's unlikely that Azad saheb can return to Congress after saying all that he said against the party and its leaders, you never know what happens in future,” a senior AICC functionary said.
The biggest fillip to Azad's Congress return talk came on Saturday when Taj Mohi-ud-din, one of the founding members of the Azad-led Democratic Progressive Alliance Party (DPAP) announced that he was set to rejoin the Congress along with his supporters.
Earlier this week, the Congress appointed Karra the party’s Jammu and Kashmir chief, replacing Vikar Rasool, during whose term several party leaders quit Congress to join Azad’s newly formed DPAP.
Azad, a former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister had dissociated from the Sonia Gandhi-led party on August 26, 2022, ending a five decade long bond.
He formed the DPAP on September 26, 2022, but the party could not make any impact in the recently held Lok Sabha elections causing several leaders to look back towards the Congress.
Azad had earlier led a group of 23 Congress leaders to write a letter to the then Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, seeking an overhaul of the party. He came to be seen as someone close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi after Modi in the farewell speech to Azad, the then Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, lavished generous praises on him. The BJP government even let Azad keep his official bungalow in South Avenue.
About a steady stream of Azad's supporters and aides returning to Congress, leaders in the party said they were returning to secure their political future.
“Many of those who left with Azad have returned to the Congress and many more are keen to return. These decisions will be taken on a case to case basis,” said Ghulam Ahmed Mir, former J&K Congress chief.
It’s Between him & Gandhis
The issue of Ghulam Nabi Azad and everything related to him is between the Gandhi family and Azad, who had chosen to walk out of the party, making caustic remarks about the Gandhi family on the launch of his book, Azaad. — A Congress leader
Baseless rumours
There is no merit in talks that Azad is rejoining the Congress. Ever since Azad saheb left the Congress, neither he has approached any Congress leader nor has any Congress leader approached him directly or telephonically. These rumours are baseless and meant to create confusion and break our party. — Salman Nizami, chief spokesperson, DPAP
