Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Jan 17: Castigating the malicious vilification campaign of the BJP and its conspiratorial cohorts, former Union Minister and top AICC leader Ghulam Nabi Azad today said that having served the nation for the last 30 years in various capacities he does not need any certificate from the `communal’ and fascist forces which are responsible for spreading hatred and division in the society.
In a press statement issued today Mr Azad said “I have a proven track record and my services for the welfare of all the sections of the society are an open book. The communal forces can not deter him to oppose such forces with renewed resolution and fortitude.
“Those who are themselves communal, divisive and narrow minded can not see others through a different prism,” he added.
Taking strong exception to what he described as ‘malicious propaganda’ unleashed against his person, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha said that this is part of a diabolical plan of a particular political party and some loonies with a vested interest to spread hatred and communal poison in the society. Azad said he has been observing a motivated campaign going on against him in a section of media for a pretty long time, however, now the situation has attained a new low as unfounded and baseless reports about “Hindu CM” are being attributed to him.
Referring to a news report, which impliedly meant to say that he is opposed to “Hindu CM”, Azad said, “I would like to know when I have said that a “Hindu” cannot become the Chief Minister of J&K. There must be some record of it”.
He said that Constitution, irrespective of religion, does not debar any rightful citizen of the State to become Chief Minister and rather than having any objection, he would be the delighted if a person of any other religion also becomes the Chief Minister of J&K.
Asserting that in a democratic set up it is the numbers which entitle any political party to have its Chief Minister, Azad said that if BJP has the numbers what is stopping it to install a Chief Minister of its choice in J&K.
“I would like to ask the BJP whom it is trying to mislead by pretending to react to a statement which has never been made. It is clear that BJP itself, with a malicious intent, has planted a false story in a section of media ascribed mischievously to me to draw wedge in the society” Azad said.
Azad said BJP, instead of doing ‘cheap politicking’ and ‘malicious whispering’ through its cronies, will do well to the nation and the State if it allows the single largest party to form the Government without using strong arm methods.
“My views on the subject of CM are in public domain and if somebody has any doubt, he can refer to my speech made at Reasi during election campaigning”, said Azad adding that BJP, Sanghparivaar and its cronies cannot mislead the people of the State by planting mischievous and non-existent reports in a section of media.
Asserting that core ideology of BJP is divisive in nature and panders to a particular community, while Congress has an agenda of harmony and inclusion, Azad said that this compels the BJP to indulge in rumour-mongering and malicious whispering with the malicious intent of pitting one community against another.
“This is grossly detrimental to the inter-regional and inter-community harmony and unity and integrity of the State”, said Azad.
Azad said that he has been a strong votary of regional balance and equitable distribution of resources and as Chief Minister he initiated a number of concrete and practical steps to rectify the regional imbalances, notwithstanding that the deficit of sixty years could not be erased in two and a half years.
Asking the BJP to stop giving lessons in morality, Azad reminded that the people of the country know how the vote of confidence in Maharashtra Assembly was won by the BJP in a hush-hush manner and that it was rightly described by the political experts and analysts as a black day in the democratic history of the country.
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