'Government Should Restore State Status Of Jammu And Kashmir Before Assembly Elections': Ghulam Nabi Azad

Azad said Jihad is not to fight against any other religion. The real 'Jihad' is to eliminate poverty and unemployment which is our biggest enemy.

(File Photo)

Ramban: Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said the real 'Jihad' is to fight poverty and unemployment instead of fighting against any leader, party or religion. Addressing a public meeting here, he reiterated the demand for restoration of statehood of Jammu and Kashmir ahead of assembly elections. He said bureaucracy has no competition from popular governance in fulfilling people's aspirations.

Real 'jihad' is to eliminate poverty and unemployment - Azad

Azad said, "Jihad is not to fight against any other religion. The real 'Jihad' is to eliminate poverty and unemployment which is our biggest enemy.'' He said he does not consider any leader or party as his enemy.

Price rise adds to common man's woes - Azad

"Prices of fuel and other daily goods including vegetables and pulses have gone up," the former chief minister said. Domestic gas was available for Rs 400 for the people under the Congress regime, but now the price has almost tripled, adding to the woes of the common man.''

Azad claimed that the present government was not treating everyone equally and was taking "anti-people" steps like removing people who had been living for decades from their land.

"No one is challenging the leadership. Perhaps, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Ji had given me too much freedom to question when things were going wrong. They would never mind criticism. They would not see it as offensive. Today the leadership sees it as offensive,'' he told NDTV.