New Delhi: Former Jammu and Kashmir deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand on Saturday said around 126 people have resigned from Democratic Azad Party (DAP) and there is a coterie around Ghulam Nabi Azad that trying to destroy the newly launched party, news agency ANI reported.
“Today 126 people have resigned. We were working for the party. There is a coterie around Ghulam Nabi Azad that wants to destroy the party and is giving him wrong information,” the former minister said.
Notably, Chand’s remarks come two days after Azad expelled him, along with former minister Manohar Lal Sharma and former legislator Balwan Singh, from DAP.
“The decision of the DAP to expel us without any reason or justification came as a big surprise to us. Today, we feel that our decision to resign from the Congress in support of Azad was a blunder,” Tara Chand said.
“The Congress party has given me a lot and in haste, I took the wrong decision (to quit). We will talk to our supporters and then decide what to do next,” he added.
Welcoming Azad's decision of expelling them, the former deputy chief minister said it had further strengthened them and they are getting support from all across Jammu and Kashmir.
"Many more leaders from Kashmir including former ministers and legislators from DAP and others are joining our group to strengthen the secular vote bank and work for the restoration of the people's rights including the special status under Article 370 of the constitution and statehood,” he said, adding, "Restoration of pre-August 5, 2019 status to Jammu and Kashmir is the popular demand of the people from both the regions of Jammu and Kashmir."