17 estranged Ghulam Nabi Azad loyalists in J-K return to Congress fold

New Delhi, January 6

As many as 17 of the estranged Ghulam Nabi Azad loyalists, including ex-deputy CM of J&K Tara Chand and ex-minister Peerzada Mohd Sayeed, on Friday formally returned to the Congress.

The Congress re-inducted the J&K leaders here at the AICC headquarters by holding a press conference.

The J&K leaders joined back the Congress in the presence of senior party leaders Jairam Ramesh, KC Venugopal and Rajni Patil.

Jairam Ramesh, while briefing the media, said the 19 leaders who had left the party with Ghulam Nabi Azad had come back to the party fold ahead of the Bharat Jodo Yatra entering Jammu and Kashmir.

He said of the 19 leaders 17 are present at the press conference.

Welcoming the J&K leaders returning to the party fold, KC Venugopal said they were on leave for two months and as now their leave is over, so they have joined back in the service of the party and the nation.

Tara Chand on his part said it was an emotional decision in favour of Azad saheb that they left the party. “But as the emotions subsided, we realised that we did a wrong thing to leave our home and leaders and so we are returning,” he said.

Tara Chand and Peerzada offered apology for their decision to leave the party.