Ghulam Nabi Azad Calls Himself ‘24 Carat Congressman’ Amid Speculations Of Possible Exit

“Yes, I am a Congressman. Who told you I am not? 24 ‘Carat’ Congressman. How does it matter if 18 Carats are challenging 24 carat?” Azad asked.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad. (File Photo/ AFP)

Jammu: Calling himself a “24 Carat Congressman”, senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Sunday downplayed speculations about his possible exit from the grand old party.

“Yes, I am a Congressman. Who told you I am not? 24 ‘Carat’ Congressman. How does it matter if 18 Carats are challenging 24 carat?” Azad asked.

Azad, who was responding to questions about speculations of his possible exit from the Congress like former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, said that he was not upset with the grand old party, but was instead working for unifying and uniting its workers.

“Those dividing parties only see divisions. We are the ones who are linking people. We are forging unity (in the party ranks) as we are for unification,” he said, PTI reported.

Azad, who was among the 23 Congress leaders who had sought an organisational overhaul last year, said reforms are a dynamic process and imperative for every party, society and the country as a whole for the benefit of people.

“Reforms are an ongoing process and necessary in every party the legislature is also a sort of reform. Many evils of the past are not there in the society today because of reforms,” he said when asked about his call for reforms during the media interaction.

The former chief minister, who has been holding public rallies in Jammu and Kashmir over the past nearly two months, added the communalism and casteism prevalent in society today also need to be reformed.

Responding to a poser about the Congress party’s prospects in the next assembly elections likely to be held after the delimitation exercise, he said the people are the masters in a democratic set-up, adding defeat and win of any party is in their hands.

Azad, however, said the people across Jammu and Kashmir are “fed up” with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) due to rising inflation and growing unemployment.

The Congress leader also commented on “white colour terrorism” highlighted by a Srinagar-based Army officer and said that he did not know what does he meant by it.

“I have already said that the politicians should have done the right things for the welfare of the people but sometimes they did the work of Satan by dividing the people. We should desist from it,” he told reporters after addressing a public meeting in the border belt of Khour on the outskirts of Jammu.