Totally baseless and false: Spokesperson on claims of Azad, DPAP joining Congress
The party clarified that the rumours about Azad and his party joining Congress were being spread by Congress leaders of Jammu & Kashmir from the last two weeks
Two days after the announcement of dates for assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Ghulam Nabi Azad led Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) on Sunday denied reports of Azad and his party joining Congress even though the party’s senior leader Taj Mohiuddin announced his decision to join Congress.
The party clarified that the rumours about Azad and his party joining Congress were being spread by Congress leaders of Jammu & Kashmir from the last two weeks.
DPAP chief spokesperson Salman Nizami said that the rumours of Azad and the party joining Congress were “totally baseless and false, just to create confusion and break our party”.
“It is also being rumoured that Azad was approached by the central Congress leadership to join the Congress party. As chief spokesperson of DPAP let me make it clear on behalf of the party Chairman that ever since Azad has left Congress party, neither Azad has approached any Congress leader nor any Congress leader has ever approached him directly or telephonically,” said Nizami.
Former J&K chief minister Azad, 75, formed the DPAP in September 2022 after ending his five-decade-long association with the Congress. The former Union minister had managed to rope in several former Congress legislators in his party who were holding good sway in their respective areas in Kashmir and Jammu.
However the party couldn’t do well in the recent Lok Sabha polls. The party contested its first election, fielding candidates in Srinagar, Anantnag-Rajouri and Udhampur but they, however, lost their deposits in all the three.
“Azad has requested all our party leaders and workers not to get into this trap and also requested the media persons not to give any importance to these rumours,” he said.
Meanwhile the effects of dismal performance of the party in Lok sabha and now the announcement of assembly polls in J&K made themselves manifest with the leaving of one of the founding members of DPAP.
Former senior Congress leader from north Kashmir and DPAP treasurer Taj Mohiuddin resigned from DPAP and has decided to re-join the Congress party.
A day after the election commission of India announced dates for assembly elections in J&K, Mohiuddin told media on Saturday that he had discussed the issue with his workers and it was decided that he must re-join the Congress.
Mohiuddin, a former MLA from Uri, had resigned from Congress in August 2022 to make way for joining the newly formed DPAP.
