Four months after exit, Ghulam Nabi Azad likely to return to Congress

• Azad formed his new outfit called DAP. However, his new outfit has been jolted with the exits of senior leaders
• Ambika Soni has also been assigned the responsibility to bridge the gap between Azad and Congress
• Azad had blamed Rahul Gandhi for the decline of the Congress party

Ghulam Nabi Azad is likely to return to the Congress party in the wake of growing skepticism against his new party as the talks between the former Jammu and Kashmir CM and leaders of his erstwhile party have been initiated, according to ANI.

A senior Congress leader told Hindustan Times, “Anything can happen in politics. But we will be really surprised if Azaad saab returns to Congress.” More than 100 office bearers and founding members of the Democratic Azad Party (DAP) announced their resignation from the party in support of the three leaders.

Columnist Safwat Zargar a couple of months ago had written in the Scroll that Azad’s new party had been met with skepticism in Kashmir. Zargar wrote: In Kashmir, however, “proxies” has traditionally been used to refer to parties believed to have been set up by the Central government in New Delhi…Over the decades, electoral politics in Kashmir has been regarded as shadowplay, with Delhi calling the shots, dislodging chief ministers and orchestrating splits. It is even believed that governments at the Centre helped set up new parties to fragment the Muslim vote-bank.” She concluded, “New parties are regarded with a heavy dose of scepticism in Kashmir. Will Azad’s new party meet the same fate?”

Azad formed his new outfit called DAP. However, his new outfit has been jolted with the exits of senior leaders.

During the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly polls, Azad had said that only Congress can compete with the BJP. The 73-year-old leader, who in his resignation letter had lashed out at Rahul Gandhi, said he is not against the Congress policy but had issues with its weak system, reported Hindustan Times. After Azad’s statement, Bharat Jodo Yatra convenor Digvijaya Singh is believed to have invited his former colleague to join Rahul Gandhi’s march, according to the newspaper.

Akhilesh Prasad Singh and Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who were with Azad in the rebel group G23, advocated his return to the party and participation in the Bharat Jodo Yatra. The report said that Congress leader Ambika Soni has also been assigned the responsibility to bridge the gap between Azad and the Grand Old Party’s high command.

Azad had blamed Rahul Gandhi for the decline of the Congress party, accusing the Gandhi scion of insulting senior party leaders, he said that all decisions are taken by Rahul or worse his security guards and PAs.

-INDIA NEWS STREAM