New Delhi: Amid speculations on former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad’s return to the party, the senior politician and chief of the newly-formed Democratic Progressive Azad Party on Friday dispelled such rumours and said there is no intention to return to a party with which he had snapped his 52-year-old association earlier this year.
Talking to news agency PTI, Azad said reports suggesting his return to the grand old party are planted by some leaders with vested interest and there was no truth in them.
"I have never spoken to any Congress leader and neither has anyone called me. So I wonder why these kinds of stories are planted in the media," Azad said.
"Come whatever may, we will emerge stronger," he added.
This comes after reports that suggested the veteran politician was likely to return to Congress and talks between Azad and the party were also initiated.
According to a report by news agency ANI, during the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls, Azad said that he is not against Congress but had issues with its weak system. He further said that it is only Congress that can compete with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
After his statement, Congress-led Bharat Jodo Yatra’s convenor, Digvijaya Singh reportedly invited Azad to be a part of the yatra, after which former G23 leaders– Akhilesh Prasad Singh and Bhupinder Singh– contacted him and advocated his return to the grand old party.
However, recently, several leaders, including Jammu and Kashmir’s former Deputy Chief Minister Tarachand, who left Congress and went with Azad, have quit DAP as well.
According to the ANI report, despite Azad’s sharp attacks on Congress’ former chief Rahul Gandhi in his resignation, the party is leaving no stone unturned to bring Azad back.
Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Ambika Soni have been assigned the responsibility to bridge the gap between Ghulam Nabi Azad and Congress, as per ANI.
It is to be noted that Ambika Soni is an old loyalist of the Gandhis and also has good political ties with Azad.
As per ANI, Soni has told Azad to first come to the Bharat Jodo Yatra and then talk to Rahul Gandhi as he had made direct attacks on him while resigning.
Currently, Azad and Congress are at loggerheads over the personal attack on Rahul he had made while leaving the party, but talks are underway between the two.