New Delhi: In a major setback to Ghulam Nabi Azad, 17 senior leaders from his Democratic Azad Party, joined the Congress on Friday. The move comes days before Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra is to enter UT Jammu and Kashmir on Jan. 20.
Notably, Azad, who had left the Congress in August last year, after spending 50 years in the grand old party, had blamed Rahul’s style of functioning for the various problems in the party. "We welcome them…it is their homecoming. This is just the beginning. More people who believe in the unity of India and will join the yatra," AICC general secretary Organisation KC Venugopal said.
The leaders, including former deputy chief minister Tara Chand, former MLA Balwant Singh and former PCC chief Peerzada Mohamed Syed, termed their joining the DAP as "the biggest blunder in life" and acknowledged that the people of the UT had a special relationship with the Gandhi family.
"We worked for 50 years in the Congress and got so much. The Congress promoted a poor villager like me. Sonia Gandhi made me the Speaker of the J&K Assembly and later deputy CM," Tara Chand said. "Joining the DAP was the biggest blunder of my life. I became emotional and took the wrong step. I did it for someone’s friendship. I am grateful to Sonia Gandhi for allowing me to return to Congress," he said.
Also read— Exclusive: Ghulam Nabi Azad says not joining Congress; no reconciliation on cards
Peerzada also expressed similar sentiments. "The people love the Gandhi family. I apologize to the people of the UT and the Congress party for having left it," he said. According to the former JKPCC chief, there was no let up in terrorism in the UT over the past years and in fact the situation had only worsened. "Terrorism has not come down in the UT. It has actually increased. In this situation, it is very important to strengthen the secular forces and the Congress can do that job," said Peerzada.
Tara Chand recalled that he and several others got to hear the news of Azad’s resignation from the Congress all of a sudden and had no inkling of what was going on. "I don’t know his problem with the top leadership and why he left. Azad was a senior Congressman and had experience. I had a 40-year relationship with him both as a friend and a leader," he said.
Venugopal noted that the leaders were actually on leave and were now 'joining' back. "They realized that Congress is their own party. Today the atmosphere has changed in J&K. NC Leader Farooq Abdullah will attend the yatra. His son Omar Abdullah would welcome Rahul in Srinagar. The Awami League leaders would also join the yatra," said AICC in charge of J&K, Rajani Patil.
On Azad’s chances of joining the Congress, Venugopal said that the leader had himself denied such reports. "Everyone who believes in the unity of India is welcome to the yatra," he said. Most of these leaders were founding members of the DAP but had been recently expelled by Azad after they publicly praised Rahul’s yatra.
Also read—Congress plans 'gharwapsi' of DAP rebels in a message to Azad
The yatra's J&K leg would start from Jan. 20 and is important for the Congress as Rahul would end the nationwide foot march on Jan. 30 in Srinagar by hoisting the Indian flag. The day is also important as it is the martyrdom day of Mahatma Gandhi. Before starting the yatra on Sep 7 from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, Rahul had sought the blessings of Mahatma Gandhi at his Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad on Sep 5.
