Ghulam Nabi Azad on Gujarat polls: 'Only Congress can take on BJP; AAP is…'

Veteran leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Sunday said although he has quit the Congress, he would stills want the party to perform well in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly elections, adding that the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) isn't capable to defeat the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“Although I have separated from the Congress, I wasn't against their policy of secularism. It was only due to the party's system getting weakened. Only the Congress could challenge the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections, while the AAP is merely a party of UT Delhi,” news agency ANI quoted Azad as saying.

Azad parted ways this year with the grand-old party after decades-long association. In October, Azad announced his new political outfit 'Democratic Azad Party'.

Azad also exuded confidence in his old Congress and said it takes along everybody, Hindu, and Muslim farmers. He added that the AAP can't do anything in these states, they have failed in Punjab and the people of Punjab will not vote for them again.

"The AAP is merely a party of UT Delhi. They can't run Punjab efficiently, only Congress can challenge the BJP in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh as they have an inclusive policy," Azad, who is on a tour of Doda where he will be meeting many delegations and addressing many rallies in the coming days, said.

The polls in Gujarat will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5. The counting of votes will take place on December 8.

In a hard-hitting resignation letter to then Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Azad had attacked the party leadership, particularly Rahul Gandhi, over the way the party has been run in the past nearly nine years.

Azad had also claimed that a coterie runs the party while Sonia Gandhi was just "a nominal head" and all the major decisions were taken by "Rahul Gandhi or rather worse his security guards and PAs".

(With inputs from ANI)