Ghulam Nabi Azad vouches for restoration of J-K statehood

KATHUA: Democratic Azad Party chairperson Ghulam Nabi Azad on Sunday reiterated the demand for the restoration of statehood ahead of the assembly elections scheduled next year.

Former Congress Rajya Sabha MP and Democratic Azad Party chairperson Ghulam Nabi Azad addressed a public rally in Kathua and launched three main agendas of his outfit.

"We have three main agendas, first to restore statehood, second to reserve the rights of purchasing lands for J&K people only, and third to reserve jobs rights only for local youth", Azad said in a public rally.

Adding that we will not step back until these agendas are fulfilled.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday announced that his new political outfit will be named as 'Democratic Azad Party'.

The development comes exactly a month after Azad resigned from the Congress party. Announcing the name of the new party at a press conference here, Azad said that the outfit will be secular, democratic and independent from any influence.

Azad also unveiled the flag of the Democratic Azad Party. The flag has three colours - mustard, white and blue. Earlier, Azad, in his first public meeting in Jammu after quitting Congress, had announced to launch of his own political outfit that will focus on the restoration of full statehood.

Ghulam Nabi Azad resigned from Congress in August 26 after being part of the outfit for 52 years.

In his resignation letter to Sonia Gandhi, he had targeted party leadership, particularly Rahul Gandhi, over the way the party has been run in the past nearly nine years.

In the hard-hitting five-page letter, Azad had claimed that a coterie runs the party while Sonia Gandhi was just "a nominal head" and all the major decisions were taken by "Rahul Gandhi or rather worse his security guards and PAs".

He was earlier Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha. Recounting his long association with the Congress, Azad had said the situation in the party has reached a point of "no return."

While Azad took potshots at Sonia Gandhi in the letter, his sharpest attack was on Rahul Gandhi and he described the Wayand MP as a "non-serious individual" and "immature".