It will with independent thoughts!
- It is not an easy task to restore the article 370 and 35A but only a political gimmick.
- Ghulam Nabi Azad to announce his new political party within 10 days and his party will have independent thoughts.
jj correspondent
Jammu, Sep 11: The former Congress leader and leader of opposition at centre Ghulam Nabi Azad cleacly said that he would not promise the people of Jammu & Kashmir regarding restoration of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, which was abrogated by the Center in 2019 as it is near about impossible for everyone and moreover it is not in his hands now and added that he would announce his political party within 10 days with an independent opinion.
While speaking at a mass gathering in Baramulla, Azad openly promised not to deceive the people over the fate of Article 370, noting that only a government with a two-thirds majority in Parliament can ensure its restoration. He has clarified his position over the restoration of article 370 and 35 A and said that some leaders are befooling the people.
It is pertinent to mention that Congress denied Rajya Sabha ticket and this has infuriated Azad and out of frustration he parted his 50 years association with Congress. The political observes opined that if Azad had not been in Congress in that he could not have been leader of his home district.
‘To restore Article 370, 350 votes in the Lok Sabha and 175 votes in the Rajya Sabha would be needed and he does not have those numbers,’ said Azad. The former Rajya Sabha member said not to bring up issues outside of his control. ‘Some people have been saying that I don’t talk about Article 370. I want to tell them that Azad does not befool people for electoral gains,’ said the former J&K CM.
‘I or the Congress party or any other regional parties cannot give you back Article 370…,’ he added.
Azad said he would announce the formation of his new political party within 10 days and asserted that its ideology will be “independent”.
The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said the agenda of the new political outfit would be to struggle for the restoration of J and K’s statehood and to fight for the job and land rights of people.
“I thank my colleagues who stand with me and are the base of my new party which, will be announced within the next 10 days,” Azad said.
Speaking at a public meeting at Dak Bungalow in Baramulla in north Kashmir, Azad said his new party will be ‘Azad’ (free) in its ideology and thinking, like his name.
“My party will be Azad. Many of my colleagues said we should name the party Azad. But, I said never. But, its ideology will be independent, and will not join or merge with any other. That may happen after my death, but not till then,” he said.
The former leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha said the emphasis would be to struggle to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood and protection of jobs and land rights of its people.
He said that his party would be development-oriented and agenda to give employment opportunities to the people, especially to youth.
Azad said he was not against any political party, whether national or regional. “Many people across party lines are my friends,” he said.
Azad, 73, ended his five-decade-long association with the Congress on August 26, terming the party “comprehensively destroyed”. He had lashed out at former Congress president Rahul Gandhi for “demolishing” the party’s entire consultative mechanism.
