Over two months after quitting the party, veteran politician and founder of the Democratic Azad Party (DAP) Ghulam Nabi Azad's "love" for Congress again revived for the party as he appreciated the "secular" character of the "grand old party".
In an interview with a news agency, Ghulam Nabi Azad on Sunday virtually sent an olive branch to the party, which he had quit after blaming Rahul Gandhi for the prevailing "mess" and "anarchy" in the Congress.
"Only Congress could challenge Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly elections, while Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is merely a party of UT Delhi", the ANI news agency quoting Ghulam Nabi reported.
Azad said that he was not against its policy of secularism, but its weak party system.
"Although I have separated from Congress, I wasn't against their policy of secularism. It was only due to the party's system getting weakened. I would still want Congress to perform well in Gujarat and HP Assembly polls. AAP isn't capable to do so," he said.
Exuding confidence in the Congress, he said that the party takes a long everybody, Hindu, and Muslim farmers. He said that Aam Aadmi Party can't do anything in these states, they have failed in Punjab and the people of Punjab will not vote for them again.
Launching a scathing attack on AAP, Azad said, "It is AAP is merely a party of UT Delhi. They can't run Punjab efficiently, only Congress can challenge BJP in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh as they have an inclusive policy."
- Hours after being named as head of the J&K Congress Campaign Committee Ghulam Nabi Azad resigned on August 16, 2022. The Congress campaign committee was newly constituted on August 16.
- On August 26, Azad quit the 52-years-long association with the Congress party and resigned from all posts of the party. 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.
- Exactly a month after resigning from the Congress party, Azad formally launched a new political party, named Democratic Azad Party (DAP), from J&K on September 26, 2022, and said, "it will not be autocratic but democratic".
