Full statehood for J&K, jobs for locals top Ghulam Nabi Azad's agenda

Our Correspondent

Jammu, September 4

In his maiden rally after quitting the Congress, former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today spelled out the agenda of his yet-to-be-named party, the main being restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, protection of land and job rights of its residents, generating employment and the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits.

Maiden rally in Jammu

Outsiders should not buy land, either in Jammu or Kashmir, and jobs should not be given to them... After all, how many jobs are available in J&K? Ghulam Nabi Azad, Former CM

Addressing the well-attended rally at Sainik Colony on the outskirts of Jammu, the veteran leader said he would announce the name of his new party after consulting people and leaders of Jammu and Kashmir, but added it would be in neither Maulana’s Urdu nor Pandit’s Sanskrit. “The party will include Hindus, Muslims and other communities. The name will be such that it can be easily remembered and all communities relate to it,” he said.

Azad arrived at the Jammu airport in the morning and was accorded a warm reception by his supporters who took him in a procession to the rally venue. He said he would tour entire J&K and meet people from different communities. “Outsiders should not buy land, either in Jammu or Kashmir, and jobs should not be given to them... How many jobs are available in J&K? It is a trickle of water in a sea and if the jobs are advertised at the national level, we will lose that trickle of water as well,” he said.

Attacking the Congress and its leadership, Azad said there were leaders who claimed they had made the party, but “forgot the sacrifices by veterans like him who had been to jail for the party’s cause”. “These (Congress) leaders are active only on Twitter and other social media platforms without knowing the ground reality. They can only spread fake news about me. This is the reason Congress is fading away,” he said. The former CM, however, did not criticise the PM Narendra Modi-led Union Government.

Countering those who criticised him for not being vocal against the abrogation of Article 370, Azad said he made all efforts to reach out to the people of J&K after August 5, 2019, but was not allowed. “I went to Kashmir but was sent back to New Delhi by law enforcement agencies from the airport. I went to Jammu and met with the same fate. Later, I hired lawyers and got permission from the Supreme Court to visit J&K and also to submit a report on the ground situation,” he said.

Former Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, ex-ministers Taj Mohi-ud-din, GM Saroori, Abdul Majid Wani, Manohar Lal Sharma, RS Chib and Jugal Kishore Sharma were among those present at the rally. All were earlier in the Congress.

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