Meeting & talking to political rivals doesn’t change one’s DNA: Azad counters Congress

STATE TIMES NEWS

New Delhi: Meeting and talking to political rivals does not change one’s DNA, veteran leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Saturday in a swipe at the Congress which had insinuated that he was cozying up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he left the party.
After Azad ended his five-decade-long association with the Congress last month, the party had alleged that his “DNA has been Modi-fied” and several leaders attacked him citing Modi’s speech in Rajya Sabha in February last year in which the teary-eyed prime minister had praised Azad as a “true friend”.
“MPs from 22 parties spoke about me (on my farewell) but only what the PM said was highlighted,” Azad said at a book release function in New Delhi on Saturday.

All set for Azad’s first public rally in Jammu
Jammu: Ghulam Nabi Azad, who recently broke his five-decade-long association with the Congress, will begin his fresh political journey on Sunday from Jammu where he would set up the first unit of his own party.
All preparations have been completed for Azad’s first public rally in Jammu, a close aide of the former chief minister said on the eve of the public meeting. Azad would be accorded a grand reception on his arrival from Delhi Sunday morning, and a procession would accompany him to the venue of the public meeting at the Sainik Colony, former minister G M Saroori said. Saroori is among over two dozen prominent legislators who resigned from the Congress in support of Azad. The 73-year-old Azad is likely to announce the formation of his own political party. Azad, 73, ended his five-decade association with the Congress on August 26, terming the party “comprehensively destroyed”. He also lashed out at Rahul Gandhi for “demolishing” the party’s entire consultative mechanism.
Since Azad’s resignation, a former Deputy Chief Minister, eight former ministers, a former MP, nine legislators besides a large number of Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) members, municipal corporators and grassroots workers from across Jammu and Kashmir defected to the Azad camp.
Hoardings and banners welcoming Azad have been put up at the Satwari chowk along the Jammu-Airport road and in the route leading to the venue of the public rally, where seating arrangements for over 20,000 people have been made.
“All those who resigned in support of Azad will be present at the public meeting,” Saroori, who was busy over the past week in making arrangements for the public meeting, told.
He said over 3,000 supporters of Azad, representing different sections of society, have expressed desire to join hands with him at the public meeting.
“It is very difficult to manage such a large number of joinings we have worked out a formula to make them raise their hands in support of Azad to welcome the new entrants,” he said.
He said people from different political parties are also in touch with them and “we are expecting a tsunami of support in favour of Azad in coming times.”
“People have tested Azad during his chief ministership (from November 2005 to July 2008) and are eagerly waiting for his return as the next chief minister, ” he said.
He said the Azad-led party would be a reality on the political map of Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the next Assembly elections which are likely to be held after the completion of the ongoing process of special summary revision of the electoral rolls on November 25.

“If you meet people from other political parties and talk to them, it does not change your DNA,” he said and lamented that political parties nowadays seem to be “at war”.
Referring to Modi’s emotional speech, Azad said it’s a tradition that one-third members retire from Rajya Sabha every two years and MPs from various parties give speeches on the occasion.
He further said the composite culture of India has changed over the years.
“Hindus and Muslims stayed together…. It was not unusual for Hindus to study Arabic and Muslims to study the Gita. This was our country’s composite culture,” he said.
Earlier, only two occasions were celebrated in Delhi’s political circles — Eid Milan and Diwali Milan — he said.
“Both (former prime ministers Atal Bihari) Vajpayee-ji and Indira Gandhi used to come. Now political parties are like they are at war…,” he said.
“Unfortunately we all have been divided and it is saddening,” he said at the launch of the book, ‘Moon of the Saffron Fields – The Legend of Habba Khatoon’ by Padma Shri awardee Pran Kishore.
Azad, 73, resigned from the Congress on August 26, terming the party “comprehensively destroyed”. He also lashed out at Rahul Gandhi for “demolishing” the party’s entire consultative mechanism. He is set to begin his fresh political journey Sunday from Jammu where he will set up the first unit of his own party.