Setback for Ghulam Nabi Azad’s party as two ex-ministers return to Congress

Two former Jammu and Kashmir ministers – Jugal Kishore Sharma and Abdul Majid Wani – along with hundreds of their supporters on Thursday returned to the Congress here, in a setback for Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP).

Former Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Subash Gupta and another prominent DPAP leader Brij Mohan Sharma also rejoined the Congress at a function organised to mark the 108th birth anniversary of former prime minister Indira Gandhi.

The leaders, who had quit the Congress in 2022 to join Azad’s newly formed outfit, were welcomed into the party fold by national general secretary and Jammu and Kashmir in-charge Syed Naseer Hussain, J-K Pradesh Congress Committee president Tariq Hameed Karra and AICC general secretary GA Mir.

Both Sharma and Wani had unsuccessfully contested the last Assembly election from the Vaishno Devi and Doda segments, respectively. Azad did not aggressively campaign for the party candidates, citing ill health.

Sharma was a minister in the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed-led PDP-Congress government from 2000 to 2005 and in the Azad-led Congress-PDP government from 2005 to 2008. Wani was also inducted as a minister in the Azad-led government.

With their return to the Congress, most of the leaders who have left the party to support Azad have made a comeback over the past two years. The process has sped up after the dismal performance of DPAP in both the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections last year.

“The Congress is the only party that believes in secularism and gives its leaders freedom to speak their mind. The Congress does not do religion-based politics,” Sharma said, addressing the well-attended gathering.

He said many people came up with a lot of suggestions after the news started making rounds that they are rejoining the Congress.

“The other party is seeking votes in the name of religion, which we do not favour. Religion is a personal thing, and one should have freedom to follow their own religion, which is there in the Congress, as there are no restrictions on anyone,” Sharma said.

He paid rich tributes to the “Iron Lady” on her birth anniversary and vowed to work for strengthening the party at the grass-roots level.

Hussain said the Congress will be strengthened by their return and asserted that every party has to be strong enough to contest elections on its own strength.

“The Congress has to do the same here also, for which all necessary steps shall be taken in the coming days,” he said, praising the PCC leadership and senior leaders for their efforts to strengthen the party by carrying out programmes and policies aimed at strengthening the party across the Union Territory.

He said the Congress supports people’s demand for return of statehood to J-K and the rights over their land, jobs and other resources.

Meanwhile, senior DPAP leader Salman Nizami termed the leaders who rejoined the Congress as “deadwood” and said some of them had already left the party, contested elections independently and lost by big margins.

“Azad had told these leaders to go anywhere, as he did not want the burden of such leaders again. The Congress, weakened in many states including J-K, cannot expect revival by relying on these deadwood leaders,” he said.

Nizami claimed that the Congress lacks a strong face in J-K with even its alliance partner National Conference not taking it seriously.

“Since Azad’s departure, the Congress has lost eight Assembly elections and one Lok Sabha election,” he said, praising Azad as a national leader with significant contributions.

He said Azad will visit J-K soon to discuss the future strategy.