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India: Ghulam Nabi Azad announces new outfit 'Democratic Azad Party' ahead of J-K polls

This development comes exactly a month after the former Jammu and Kashmir CM's resignation from the Congress party

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On Monday, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad announced that his new political outfit would be called the 'Democratic Azad Party'.

This development comes exactly a month after Azad's resignation from the Congress party.

Announcing the name of the new party at a press conference in Jammu, he declared the outfit would be secular, democratic and independent from any influence.

Azad also unveiled the flag of the Democratic Azad Party. The flag has three colours —mustard, white, and blue.

Yesterday, Azad held meetings with his workers and leaders. In his first public meeting in Jammu after quitting Congress, had announced the fact that the launch of his own political outfit was focused on the "restoration of full statehood, right to land, and employment to native domicile".

He had said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir would decide the party's name and flag.

"I've not decided upon a name for my party yet. The people of J-K will decide the party's name and flag. I'll give a Hindustani name to my party that everyone can understand," he said at a rally, after breaking away from his five-decade-long association with the grand old party.

Azad said that the first unit of his political outfit would be formed in Jammu and Kashmir, in view of the impending assembly polls.

He lashed out at Congress and said that people are trying to defame us (me and my supporters who left the party) but their reach is limited to computer tweets.

Azad said:

"Congress was made by us by our blood, not by computers, not by Twitter. People are trying to defame us (Azad and his supporters who left the party) but their reach is limited to computers and tweets ... That is why Congress is nowhere to be seen on the ground," said the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said in his first public meeting at Sainik Colony in Jammu.

Azad resigned from the all-party post last week. Notably, he has also served as the Chief Minister of J&K from 2005 to 2008.

In his resignation letter to Sonia Gandhi, he had targeted party leadership — particularly Rahul Gandhi — over the way the party has been run in the past (nearly) nine years.

In the hard-hitting five-page letter, Azad had claimed that a coterie runs the party, while Sonia Gandhi was just "a nominal head", and that all the major decisions were taken by "Rahul Gandhi, or rather worse, his security guards and PAs".

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Azad had said he was submitting his resignation with "great regret and an extremely leaden heart", severing his 50-year association with the Congress. He was earlier Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

Recounting his long association with the Congress, Azad had said the situation in the party had reached a point of "no return".

While Azad took potshots at Sonia Gandhi in the letter, his sharpest attack was on Rahul Gandhi, whom he described as an "immature", "non-serious individual".

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