The political mud-sling continues between Democratic Azad Party (DAP) and their expelled leaders as the party accused that its leaders are still in contact with Congress leaders in Delhi and J-K while recently expelled former deputy chief minister Tara Chand termed resignation from Congress in support of Ghulam Nabi Azad as a ‘blunder’.
Addressing a press conference earlier in the day on Saturday, Jammu and Kashmir’s former deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand said that supporting Azad and the resignation from Congress was “the biggest blunder of his political life”.
Chand, however, said they will remain secular till their last breath and would have no objection to joining the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra when it enters Jammu and Kashmir.
“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,” he said.
Chand said he has a long association with Azad and when he resigned from Congress, “we felt we should stand with our leader and extend moral support to him”.
“The Congress gave me a mandate, made me Congress legislative party leader, speaker and deputy chief minister…We repent our decision today as we feel we betrayed our party, while DAP betrayed us,” Chand said.
Asked about their sacking from the DAP, he said, “We have not seen such type of dictatorship in our decades long political career. Azad rebelled against the Congress leadership, set up a G23 group and even shot letters but he was not sacked by the (Congress) party which believes in internal democracy.”
On Bharat Joda Yatra, he said when National Conference leaders Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah and leaders of other secular parties expressed their desire to join the yatra, which is meant to unite the country, “we do not have any hesitation to be part of it”.
The statement came two days after Chand along with former minister Manohar Lal Sharma and former legislator Balwan Singh were expelled from the Azad-led Democratic Azad Party (DAP).
However, soon after Chand’s press Conference DAP called an emergency press conference.
Addressing a parallel press conference, DAP’s General Secretary and Former Minister R S Chib accompanied by former Minister Jugal Kishore Sharma accused Tara Chand and other leaders for still hobnobbing with Congress leaders and weakening the Azad led party.
“Tara Chand and present JKPCC president are two most vocal persons, who opened front against Congress party. They managed to persuade Ghulam Nabi Azad to form party but when it comes to support, both are still in Congress by heart,” Chib accused adding, “Tara Chand publicly accepted that they have DNA of Congress and will support Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, which is against the DAP.”
He added that Chand and the group are involved in anti-party activities and still meeting with Congress incharge and MP Rajni Patil and Vikar Rasool.
Vikar Raosol cancelled his three public meetings in Chand’s home town Khour, which is evident of their unflinching support to each other.
The DAP leader also said that from the past four months Chand and other leaders have not attended any party meeting while in constant touch with Congress leadership in Jammu and Kashmir as well as Delhi.
“The expelled leaders are weakening the party by trying to persuade others to rejoin Congress, which is unacceptable to us and after which the hard decision was taken, “ Jugal Kishor Sharma informed, adding, “DAP also closed all doors for these leaders for any future engagement.”