‘DAP working on agenda to break secular groups’
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 24: Former Dy Chief Minister, Tara Chand who was expelled by Ghulam Nabi Azad from Democratic Azad Party (DAP) along with two senior leaders- Dr Manohar Lal Sharma and Thakur Balwan Singh today claimed that it was `big blunder’ to leave Congress Party in support of Azad.
Over 128 office bearers and founder members of the DAP including MK Bhardwaj, Vinod Sharma, Narinder Sharma and others announced their resignation from the party in support of these three leaders, who decided to reach out to the people before taking a decision on their next course of action.
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Tara Chand, however, said they will remain secular till their last breath and would have no objection in joining the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra along with National Conference and other leaders when it enters Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing a crowded press conference here today Tara Chand said, “The decision of DAP Chairman to expel us without any reason or justification came as a big surprise to us. Today, we feel that our decision to resign from the Congress in support of Azad was a big blunder.”
He said they have a long association with Azad and when he resigned from the Congress, “We felt we should stand with our leader and extended moral support to him.”
“The Congress gave me mandate, made me Congress Legislative Party leader, Speaker and Deputy Chief Minister. We repent our decision today as we feel we betrayed our party, while DAP leader betrayed us,” Tara Chand regretted.
On being asked about their expulsion from the DAP, former DyCM said, “We have not seen such a type of dictatorship in my four decades long political career. Azad rebelled against the Congress leadership, set up a G-23 Group and even shot letters but he was not sacked by the Congress Party which believes in internal democracy.”
“We always opposed the Pradesh Congress Committee (J&K) president, at Azad’s behest but the party did not serve us any notice. We were working to strengthen the DAP, the party which is yet to get recognition, and we were accused of anti-party activities and sacked without any intimation or show cause notice which is strange,” Ex-DyCM remarked.
Welcoming Azad’s decision, Tara Chand said it had further strengthened them and they are getting support from all across Jammu and Kashmir.
“Many more leaders from Kashmir including former Ministers and legislators from DAP and others are joining our group to strengthen the secular vote bank and work for the restoration of the people’s rights including the special status under Article 370 of the constitution and statehood.
“Restoration of pre-August 5, 2019 status to Jammu and Kashmir is the popular demand of the people from both the regions of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
Without naming Azad, he said a “big leader” is saying that it cannot be restored but “we want to tell him that nothing is impossible. It is the popular demand of both the regions and we appeal to the Prime Minister to accept this demand and restore our identity. He is the Prime Minister of the whole country and should hear the voices from J&K.”
Tara Chand said he had enjoyed good friendly relations with all parties as he did not consider any party `untouchable.’ “We are secular and will die as a secular,” he said when asked whether he would like to join BJP.
“The leaders inclined towards BJP or Congress or any other party should join any of these parties without hoodwinking the public. We have leaders here who are misleading the public and are dividing the secular votes to benefit one particular party,” he said in a veiled attack on the DAP chairman who is being accused by Congress of working at the behest of BJP.
“We will not betray the public and we won’t play as an ‘A’ or ‘B’ team of any party. We will meet the public and after their consultation, will join a party which is secular and going to form the next government in Jammu and Kashmir,” he added.
On ‘Bharat Joda Yatra’, he said when National Conference leaders Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah and leaders of other secular parties have expressed their desire to join the yatra which is meant to unite the country, “we do not have any hesitation to be part of it.”
When asked whether they were going to rejoin Congress Party, Tara Chand said nobody from the Congress Party approached them so far. ” We have already mentioned that they will go back to their people and then take final decision in this regard in coming days,” he added.
Dr Manohar Lal and Balwan Singh regretted the remarks of DAP chairman with regard to `tainted people’ and said that it does not look nice to a leader of Azad’s stature to speak so low of an individual. We have parted our ways in politics but will always respect him. But expelling people from the party without any notice and giving one side verdict without any inquiry, indicates the amount of democracy prevailing in DAP whose first name starts from D for Democratic, they added.
J&K High Court Bar president and senior DAP leader M K Bhardwaj, Vinod Sharma, Narinder Sharma, Santosh Manhas, Badri Nath and many others resigned from DAP today in support of these three leaders.
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