New Delhi: In an exclusive interview with ABP News on Wednesday, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, who recently quit the Congress, talked about various issues, including the Bharat Jodo Yatra and Article 370. Taking a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Azad said the Bharat Jodo Yatra is a ‘guest appearance’ programme by the former.
Talking about the yatra, Azad said, “I am not against Bharat Jodo Yatra but if you have to do it, go from village to village, door to door. If Congress has to reorganize itself, then go among the people, without caring about votes and optics.”
Speaking about Article 370, Azad said, “On one hand there is reality and on the other there are dreams. Dreams are being peddled in Kashmir in the name of Article 370, confusion is being spread. I have been a student of Science, I have always believed in practical politics. There are only two ways for this - one through Parliament and one through the Supreme Court.”
“The truth is we can have elections in the next three to five months. We will not make Article 370 an issue in this election, it is not in our election agenda.”
Talking about Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s accusation that BJP had a soft-corner for Azad as when all the other leaders were put under house arrest in the Valley, Azad was not, the latter said that Baghel has recently been made the CM and he has very little national and parliamentary experience.
“I was in Delhi. I was not even present in Jammu and Kashmir at that time. The leaders were put under house arrest as a precautionary measure so that no one could provoke the public. Parliament was in session at that time. Had I been in Kashmir, I would have been arrested too,” Azad said.
Asked on him having praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Azad said, “You can watch any previous videos, I have condemned the policies of the government. As the Leader of the Opposition, I have always looked into the eyes of the PM and condemned the policies of the government. I have protested more than Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. He has never spoken against the government in the Lok Sabha for more than five minutes, and then went on to hug PM Modi.”
Speaking about the Congress reformation, the former party leader said that a lot of efforts had been made to reform the party. “I personally wrote to Sonia Gandhi demanding elections in the party organisation. We had demanded a party president who would go among the masses.”