Ghulam Nabi Azad hints at 'retirement,' blames politicians for 'evils' in society
Jammu, March 21: Former Union Minister and Congress G-23 member Ghulam Nabi Azad hinted at retirement from politics and expressed willingness to work for civil society while claiming that all political parties, including Congress, create division among the people.
While highlighting the need for a change in civil society so that the people can stand for their rights, Azad stated, "We have to bring about a change in society. Sometimes I think, and it is not a big deal that suddenly you come to know that I have retired and started doing social service."
The senior Congress leader who recently met his party's interim president Sonia Gandhi after the election debacle as an emissary of G23 to press for collective leadership further said that "political parties work to create a divide, 24x7, amongst people on the basis of religion, caste and other things".
"Be it my party or any other regional or national party, I am not forgiving any of them. Civil society should stay together and fight against the evils," Azad said at an event in Jammu on Sunday.
Azad, during an event in Jammu on Sunday, blamed politicians for the "evils" in society and was sceptical of the claims of the political parties bringing about a positive change.
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"We (political parties) divided people on the basis of area (Ilaka), region, village and cities, Hindus and Muslim, Shia and Sunnis, Dalit and non-Dalit, divisions in backward classes also. Now, who remains to be a human in all this? Human values have lost priorities amidst the decline...," the Congress leader stated.
He further blamed political parties for the country's communal polarisation, saying "Politics in India has become so ugly that sometimes one has to doubt whether we are human."
Azad's comments come at a time when the Hindi film 'The Kashmir Files,' which is based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990, is causing a stir in the political world, with some supporting it and others opposing it.
He further said that Pakistan and terrorism were to blame for all that had happened in the valley.
"Pakistan and militancy are responsible for what has happened in Jammu and Kashmir. It has affected all in Jammu and Kashmir, including Hindus, Kashmiri Pandits, Muslims, Dogras," he added.
Remembering Mahatma Gandhi, Azad called him "the greatest Hindu and the biggest follower of secularism," and said, "Anyone who truly follows religion is truly secular."
Militancy, according to the Congress leader, is also responsible for the destruction of Jammu and Kashmir.
"We all are human beings first, Hindus and Muslims later. Militancy has destroyed lives in J&K with Pak playing a big role in it. Militants have killed security personnel, cops and left many widowed, be it Kashmiri Pandits or Kashmiri Muslims," he stated.
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-PTC News
