Srinagar, Jan 06: In a major boost for the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir, several leaders who had quit the party following the resignation of Ghulam Nabi Azad have rejoined ahead of Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra entering the state.
17 leaders, including former Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand along with Peerzada Mohd Sayeed, former PCC President; Thakur Balwan Singh, Mohd. Muzaffar Parray, former MLC and Senior Advocate Supreme Court; Mohinder Bhardwaj (Sr Advocate J&K & Ladakh High Court, three-time President BAR Association Jammu, former member Working Committee, DPAP) and other leaders rejoined the Congress on Friday.
Announcing the induction MP Rajya Sabha and AICC General Secretary (Organization), K.C. Venugopal said, “The leaders are back because of Bharat Jodo Yatra and now will walk with Rahul Gandhi to fight the divisive forces.”
They were indebted to the Congress for giving them the opportunity to serve in various capacities, he said.
“We decided to leave Congress in haste and it was a blunder. All leaders are happy to have returned home and strengthen the secular forces,” said Tara Chand after rejoining the Congress,
“Azad was a good friend and we always respected him as a leader. We realised, secular forces are under attack and came back to our home,” Chand added.
Notably, On December 30, the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad rejected the reports about his rejoining the Congress as “completely baseless” and alleged this was to demoralise his party workers.
Expressing “shock” at the reports in a section of media in this regard, Azad, in a tweet, said: “Unfortunately such stories are being planted by a section of leaders in the congress party right now and are doing this just to demoralise my leaders and supporters.
“I don’t have any ill will against congress party and its leadership; however I request them to tell these habitual story planters to refrain from doing so.”
Not a setback for DPAP: Azad on his party leaders rejoining Cong
The leaders from Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) returning to the Congress fold was not a setback for the newly formed party, its chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Friday, and wished his old colleagues well.
Seventeen leaders of the DPAP, including ex-deputy chief minister Tara Chand and ex-PCC chief Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed, on Friday rejoined the Congress in New Delhi.
“It is not a setback because all three of them have no constituency. I wish them well, I will not say anything against them as they have been my old colleagues,” Azad told reporters here.
He was referring to Chand, Sayeed and Thakur Balwan Singh.
Azad said when the delimitation took place, these leaders were left without their constituencies as some assembly constituencies were reserved by the commission.
“I had given them positions (in the party) as they were my old colleagues and they could not have contested elections. But, they could not digest that. It is okay. Perhaps where they went, they do not know that these three only had party positions, but have no constituencies,” he said.
