Ghulam Nabi Azad to announce formation of new party within 10 days

BARAMULLA, Sept 11: Ghulam Nabi Azad, who recently parted ways with the Congress, on Sunday said he will announce the formation of his new political party within 10 days and asserted that its ideology will be “independent”.
The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said the agenda of the new political outfit would be to struggle for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood and to fight for the job and land rights of people.
“I thank my colleagues who stand with me and are the base of my new party which, God willing, will be announced within the next 10 days,” Azad said addressing his maiden public rally in Kashmir Valley after resigning from the Congress on August 26.
Speaking at a public meeting at Dak Bunglow in Baramulla in north Kashmir, Azad said his new party will be ‘Azad' (free), like his name, in its ideology and thinking.
“My party will be Azad. Many of my colleagues said we should name the party as Azad. But I said never. However, its ideology will be independent, which will not join or merge with any other. That may happen after my death, but not till then,” he said.
The former leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha said the emphasis will be to struggle for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood and protection of job and land rights of its people.
“My party will be development-oriented. Its agenda will be to give employment opportunities to the people,” he added.
Azad said he was not against any political party, whether national or regional.
“Many people across party lines are my friends,” he said.
Azad, 73, ended his five-decade-long association with the Congress on August 26, terming the party “comprehensively destroyed”. He had lashed out at former Congress president Rahul Gandhi for “demolishing” the party's entire consultative mechanism.
Meanwhile, “Article 370 can't be restored. 370 restoration needs a two-thirds majority in parliament. I will not allow parties to exploit people in the name of 370. I will not mislead people in the name of 370. It cannot come back,” he said in a fiery speech at a rally in Baramulla.
“The political exploitation has killed one lakh people in Kashmir and orphaned five lakh children. I will not seek votes on falsehood and exploitation. I will speak only what's achievable even if it hurts me elections,” he said, targeting local parties.
Mr Azad's stance is at odds with most regional parties in Jammu and Kashmir, including his former party Congress, which have signed a pact to campaign for the restoration of Article 370 – which granted special powers to the state.