The assertion came a day after Azad declined to head the Campaign Committee for Jammu and Kashmir after he was appointed to the post by party chief Sonia Gandhi.
Tag: Ghulam Nabi Azad
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Ghulam Nabi Azad quits J-K Congress campaign committee hours after being appointed as its head
By ANI
NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Tuesday resigned from the post of chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Congress campaign committee hours after his appointment.
According to sources, Azad has refused to assume the post of Campaign Committee chairman of Jammu and Kashmir due to health reasons. He has conveyed this to the Congress leadership and has also thanked the leadership for giving him the responsibility.
The development came after Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday appointed Vikar Rasool Wani as the party’s J-K unit president and Raman Bhalla as working president.
Earlier, the J-K Congress president post was held by Ghulam Ahmed Mir, who is believed to be a close aide of Azad.
Sonia Gandhi accepted the resignation of Mir from the post of Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee president.
Congress on Tuesday constituted the campaign committee, political affairs committee, coordination committee, manifesto committee, publicity and publication committee, disciplinary committee and Pradesh election committee for Jammu and Kashmir.
The campaign committee was formed constituting 11 members with Azad as the chairman and Tariq Hamid Karra as vice chairman. Further, the committee includes the PCC president and working president as permanent invitees while G M Saroori has been made the convenor.
However, the reshuffle in the party’s Jammu and Kashmir unit is believed to have angered many leaders.
ALSO READ | Ghulam Nabi Azad to be Congress CM candidate in J&K election
Former Congress MLA Gulzar Ahmad Wani stepped down from the coordination committee as a mark of protest against the appointment of the PCC chief in J-K.
“I have resigned from Congress coordination committee in J-K as a protest against the recent appointment of PCC chief in UT. The decision is not in favour of the party,” said Wani.
Another leader and former MLA resigned from the committee soon after its formation.
“We are unhappy as senior leaders were not consulted before taking a decision on J-K PCC chief. We have resigned from the party’s coordination committee as a protest against the recent announcements of the PCC chief. I have resigned from Congress’ primary membership,” said Former Congress MLA Haji Abdul Rashid Dar.
Pertinent to mention here, Ghulam Nabi Azad is one of the group of 23 leaders who were vocal about leadership change in Congress.
NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Tuesday resigned from the post of chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Congress campaign committee hours after his appointment.
According to sources, Azad has refused to assume the post of Campaign Committee chairman of Jammu and Kashmir due to health reasons. He has conveyed this to the Congress leadership and has also thanked the leadership for giving him the responsibility.
The development came after Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday appointed Vikar Rasool Wani as the party’s J-K unit president and Raman Bhalla as working president.
Earlier, the J-K Congress president post was held by Ghulam Ahmed Mir, who is believed to be a close aide of Azad.
Sonia Gandhi accepted the resignation of Mir from the post of Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee president.
Congress on Tuesday constituted the campaign committee, political affairs committee, coordination committee, manifesto committee, publicity and publication committee, disciplinary committee and Pradesh election committee for Jammu and Kashmir.
The campaign committee was formed constituting 11 members with Azad as the chairman and Tariq Hamid Karra as vice chairman. Further, the committee includes the PCC president and working president as permanent invitees while G M Saroori has been made the convenor.
However, the reshuffle in the party’s Jammu and Kashmir unit is believed to have angered many leaders.
ALSO READ | Ghulam Nabi Azad to be Congress CM candidate in J&K election
Former Congress MLA Gulzar Ahmad Wani stepped down from the coordination committee as a mark of protest against the appointment of the PCC chief in J-K.
“I have resigned from Congress coordination committee in J-K as a protest against the recent appointment of PCC chief in UT. The decision is not in favour of the party,” said Wani.
Another leader and former MLA resigned from the committee soon after its formation.
“We are unhappy as senior leaders were not consulted before taking a decision on J-K PCC chief. We have resigned from the party’s coordination committee as a protest against the recent announcements of the PCC chief. I have resigned from Congress’ primary membership,” said Former Congress MLA Haji Abdul Rashid Dar.
Pertinent to mention here, Ghulam Nabi Azad is one of the group of 23 leaders who were vocal about leadership change in Congress.
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BJP government ‘hero’ in publicity, we were ‘zero’ as Congress failed to publicise its work: Ghulam Nabi Azad
By PTI
NAGPUR: Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday said the BJP government is “hero” in publicity, while his party and the dispensation led by it were “zero” on that front as they “failed to publicise” their work and achievements.
He was speaking at the Lokmat Times Excellence in Healthcare Awards 2021 here.
Azad said his 42 years as an elected representative, his tenure as the chief minister of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state and as the Union health minister gave him the “biggest job satisfaction”, wherein he undertook several innovations and implemented new ideas for the welfare of the people.
He recalled that he had asked the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to allot him health portfolio when he was made a union minister, to which Singh said that ministry was too small for an experienced leader like him.
“But I was lucky enough as I was made a health minister. I told the PM that I want to do something for the country, want to work in health sector and bring my ideas into execution,” he said.
Azad said he brought a basic paradigm shift in the country’s health care sector and introduced major changes in land use for building medical colleges, for increasing the age for medical teaching faculty.
Taking the name of BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, who was on present on the dais, Azad said, “Their government is hero in publicity, but we were zero in publicity…completely zero…It is good, I appreciate them and I blame myself, my government and my party that we failed miserably whatever we did we could not publicise.”
The veteran Congress leader said the most basic thing that India and the world should work on is improving health and education.
Azad praised Indian doctors, who he said are hailed across the world for their experience.
Chairman of the editorial board of Lokmat Media Group, Vijay Darda, appreciated the work done by the people in the health care sector during the pandemic and stressed the need to improve health services in rural areas.
Darda hailed Azad for improving the health care services in Jammu and Kashmir during his tenure as the chief minister there, and the work done by him for women’s health when he was the Union health minister.
Fadnavis and Maharashtra energy minister Nitin Raut were awarded ‘Excellence in Healthcare Award 2021’ in the category of ‘Outstanding Service to Society During Covid Pandemic’ at the hands of Azad.
The two leaders from Maharashtra also spoke on the occasion.
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Azad meets Sonia, puts forward suggestions to strengthen Congress organisation
By PTI
NEW DELHI: G-23 leader Ghulam Nabi Azad met Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday and said he conveyed suggestions to strengthen the party, a day after members of the dissenting group held a flurry of meetings over measures to revamp the organisation.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Sonia Gandhi, Azad said it was a good meeting with the Congress president with the discussion centred on how to prepare and fight unitedly the forthcoming assembly polls to take on rival parties.
Playing down the meeting, he told reporters that it “may be news for you but we keep meeting the Congress president at various intervals”.
“Mrs Gandhi keeps having discussions with leaders to strengthen the organisation. A few days ago the working committee had met and suggestions were asked as to how to strengthen the Congress party and what were the reasons for the defeat (in five assembly polls). I had also given my suggestions,” he said.
However, it is not possible to record and remember all suggestions, he added.
Azad said he reiterated suggestions to strengthen the Congress organisation. The meeting comes a day after members of the G-23 held a flurry of meetings over measures to revamp the party.
After the Group of 23 pitched for an “inclusive and collective leadership” in the Congress, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, one of its members, met Rahul Gandhi on Thursday and the two leaders were learnt to have discussed a revamp of the party organisation, a key demand of the dissenters.
The meetings are being seen as an attempt by the Gandhi family to reach out to the G-23, which has shown signs of increasing aggression on the leadership issue after Congress’ abject loss in the assembly elections in five states.
Earlier on Friday, Azad also met veteran Congress leader Karan Singh and said he came to greet Singh on Holi.
Rahul Gandhi, a former Congress president, had called Hooda for a discussion on the political situation in Haryana. However, the discussion spilled over to the party’s abysmal performance in the elections.
Sonia Gandhi had earlier reached out to Azad on Wednesday ahead of the G-23 dinner meeting at his residence. The leaders of the grouping have since held a series of meetings at Azad’s residence.
The party leadership wants to resolve the differences with the G-23 and is reaching out to its leaders. It is learnt to have deputed some senior leaders for parleys with the dissenting group to resolve the differences, according to sources.
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Ghulam Nabi Azad meets Congress president Sonia Gandhi
By PTI
NEW DELHI: G-23 leader Ghulam Nabi Azad met Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday, a day after members of the dissenting group held a flurry of meetings over measures to revamp the party.
After the Group of 23 pitched for an “inclusive and collective leadership” in the Congress, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, one of its members, met Rahul Gandhi on Thursday and the two leaders were learnt to have discussed a revamp of the party organisation, a key demand of the dissenters.
The meetings are being seen as an attempt by the Gandhi family to reach out to the G-23, which has shown signs of increasing aggression on the leadership issue after Congress’ abject loss in the assembly elections in five states.
Earlier on Friday, Azad also met veteran Congress leader Karan Singh and said he come to greet Singh on Holi.
Rahul Gandhi, a former Congress president, had called Hooda for a discussion on the political situation in Haryana.
However, the discussion spilled over to the party’s abysmal performance in the elections.
Sonia Gandhi had earlier reached out to Azad on Wednesday ahead of the G-23 dinner meeting at his residence.
The leaders of the grouping have since held a series of meetings at Azad’s residence.
The party leadership wants to resolve the differences with the G-23 and is reaching out to its leaders.
It is learnt to have deputed some senior leaders for parleys with the dissenting group to resolve the differences, according to sources.
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Padma honours for Azad triggers spat in Congress; Tabla maestro Anindya third person to refuse Padma awards for 2022
By PTI
NEW DELHI: The Padma Bhushan award for Congress veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad triggered a spat in the opposition party on Wednesday even as he scotched speculation about his future plan while Tabla maestro Anindya Chatterjee became the third person–all from West Bengal–to refuse Padma honours this year.
A day after Padma awards, one of the highest civilian awards of the country, were announced in various spheres of activities, Azad, a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, also denied reports that had claimed he had changed his Twitter profile, calling it a ”mischievous propaganda”.
Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal took a jibe at his party, saying it was ironic that the Congress does not need his services when the nation recognises his contributions to public life.
Sibal, Anand Sharma and Shashi Tharoor — who were among the 23 Congress leaders dubbed as the ‘G-23’ who wrote to party chief Sonia Gandhi demanding organisational overhaul in 2020 — congratulated Azad.
Azad, who was also a signatory to the letter to Gandhi, was awarded the Padma Bhushan for his contribution to public affairs.
”Ironic that the Congress doesn’t need his(Azad’s) services when the nation recognises his contributions to public life,” Sibal said.
While Sharma said the award for Azad was a ”well deserved recognition” of his lifelong enriching contribution to public service and Parliamentary democracy, Tharoor noted that it is good to be recognized for one’s public service even by a ”government of the other side”.
However, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had on Tuesday taken a veiled dig at Azad.
Referring to former West Bengal chief minister and CPI-M veteran Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s refusal to accept the Padma Bhushan, Ramesh appeared to suggest that Azad should also follow suit.
”Right thing to do. He wants to be Azad not Ghulam,” Ramesh said on Twitter.
Congress veteran and former Law minister Ashwani Kumar came out in support of Azad, and hit out at Ramesh saying his criticism of Azad is nothing less than a ”shameful innuendo” and does not do justice to the dignitarian ethos of the Congress party.
”Congress Rajya Sabha Whip’s criticism of Ghulam Nabi Azad for receiving the Padma award is nothing less than a shameful innuendo intended to rob both the Award and its recepient of the deserved dignity.
”Such a mindset does not do justice to the dignitarian ethos of the Congress,” Kumar said in a statement.
Shiv Sena, a key ally of the Congress, also frowned upon attempts by a section of leaders of the grand old party to target Azad.
Calling someone ‘Azad’ for declining a national honour and ‘Ghulam’ for accepting it, shows how shallow one’s thought is towards a national honour, Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi said on Twitter.
”This isn’t the first nor the last time that opposition leaders will be acknowledged for their work, please maintain that spirit and dignity,” said Chaturvedi, who quit the Congress to join the Shiv Sena.
Another former Congress leader Sushmita Dev hit back at Ramesh wondering whether the Padma Bhushan honour for former Assam chief minister late Tarun Gogoi or the Bharat Ratna to former President late Pranab Mukherjee also made them ‘Ghulams’.
”Padma Bhushan for Tarun Gogoi and Bharat Ratna for Pranab Mukherjee – does it make them Ghulams,” asked Dev, a Rajya Sabha member from Trinamool Congress.
Azad took to Twitter to say that ”some mischievous propaganda” was being circulated by some people to create confusion. ”Nothing has been removed or added to my Twitter profile. The profile is as it was earlier.” Azad’s Twitter profile has nothing written on it and there is no reference to the Congress party.
In the age of social media, the Twitter profiles of leaders are keenly watched as generally many tend to change them before formally switching parties.
An emotional Prime Minister Narendra Modi had showered praise on Azad in his speech during the farewell to the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha last year.
Azad has recently travelled extensively in villages of Jammu and Kashmir and received an encouraging response. He is again planning to visit Jammu and Kashmir in the coming days.
Anindya Chatterjee is the second person from Bengal’s vibrant musical world who has rejected the Padma award this year and the third from the state to decline the civilian honours this year after Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and singing legend Sandhya Mukherjee The eminent percussionist, who has performed `jugalbandis’ (duets) with classical maestros like Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, said he had received a phone call from Delhi on Tuesday seeking his consent to accepting Padma Shri.
”However I politely declined. I said thank you but I am not ready to receive Padma Shri at this phase of my career. I have passed that phase,” said Chatterjee who received the Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 2002. A disciple of Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh, he was the youngest tabla player to perform in the British Parliament’s House of Commons in 1989.
Chatterjee said he would have accepted the honour with gratitude had it been conferred on him 10 years ago.
”Many of my contemporaries and juniors were given Padma Shri years ago. Anyway I said with all humbleness, that I am sorry but I cannot accept it (award) now.” Sandhya Mukherjee’s daughter Soumi Sengupta on Tuesday said that the singing legend had told a senior official who had called from Delhi that she was not willing to be named as a Padma Shri recipient on being contacted seeking her consent.
”At the age of 90, with a singing career spanning over about eight decades, being chosen for Padma Shri is demeaning for a singer of her stature,” Sengupta said. ”Padma Shri is more deserving for a junior artiste…,”she said.
Several prominent personalities in Kolkata’s cultural circle on Wednesday criticised the Centre for offering only a Padma Shri award to Sandhya Mukherjee.
Eminent singer Kabir Suman, painter Subhaprasanna and others held a press conference in Kolkata and said it was nothing short of a ”rude jolt” to the 90-year-old icon who is an inspiration to singers of different generations.
Later, BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh said it is unfortunate that the issue was politicised.
”Some intellectuals close to (West Bengal Chief Minister) Mamata Banerjee are unnecessarily creating a controversy over the move by the Centre to honour several personalities on the occasion of Republic day.
”There was no ill motive on the part of Narendra Modi government,” Ghosh said.
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Ironic Congress doesn’t need his services when nation recognises them: Sibal on Padma award to Azad
By PTI
NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Wednesday took a jibe at his party over Ghulam Nabi Azad being conferred with the Padma Bhushan, saying it was ironic that the Congress does not need his services when the nation recognises his contributions to public life.
Veteran Congress leader and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Azad, who was part of the group of 23 which has been critical of the party leadership and has sought an organisational overhaul, has been awarded the Padma Bhushan for his contribution to public affairs.
Sibal, also a part of the G-23, tweeted, “Ghulam Nabi Azad conferred Padam Bhushan. Congratulations bhaijan.”
“Ironic that the Congress doesn’t need his services when the nation recognises his contributions to public life,” he said.
ALSO READ | Buddhadeb Bhattacharya wants to be ‘Azad not Ghulam’: Jairam Ramesh’s dig at party colleague
Another G-23 leader Shashi Tharoor also congratulated Azad.
“Warm congratulations to Shri @ghulamnazad on his Padma Bhushan. It is good to be recognized for one’s public service even by a government of the other side,” Tharoor tweeted.
However, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had on Tuesday taken a veiled dig at Azad who was conferred with the award.
“Right thing to do. He wants to be Azad not Ghulam,” Ramesh said on Twitter after former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya declined the Padma award.
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Azad vs Mir: J-K Congress chief downplays unrest within state unit
By PTI
JAMMU: In an attempt to downplay resignations by dozens of senior party leaders from their posts over an “ineffective leadership” in Jammu and Kashmir, Pradesh Congress chief G A Mir on Sunday said the party cadre is united and motivated to ensure that the BJP is uprooted next year.
Mir was leading a dharna as part of the Congress’ ongoing nationwide ‘Jan Jagran Abhiyaan’ in Udhampur district against the BJP-led central government for allegedly fleecing the common man through “tax terrorism” and playing the “politics of hatred”.
Spelling trouble for the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir, four former ministers and three ex-legislators among dozens of leaders considered loyal to senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad resigned from party posts recently, saying they have not been provided an opportunity to be heard on party affairs in the union territory.
“The entire party cadre is united and motivated right now and wants to ensure that the BJP is uprooted in 2022,” Mir said, addressing the gathering.
He said the people of the union territory have rejected the BJP and have acknowledged the Congress.
“We are out to find silent Congress workers in every village and invite them to strengthen the party to give a democratic government whenever assembly elections are held in J&K,” Mir said.
He said the party was making the public aware about the “ill-conceived” policies of the BJP-led government which has caused inflation, unemployment and has created hardships for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
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Azad vs Mir: Now trouble brewing at J&K Congress over party’s CM face
By Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Trouble brewing in yet another state unit, the Congress high command has swung into action and is in touch with the leadership in Jammu and Kashmir to iron out differences, keeping in mind that Assembly elections can take place soon.
On the other hand, leaders close to senior party representative Ghulam Nabi Azad, who resigned on Wednesday, demanded he be named the party’s chief ministerial face.
Azad, who has been touring in the Valley, said he is not aware of the resignation by several party leaders.
However, during a rally in Jammu which was attended by Azad, the group demanded that he should be made party’s face.
There has been growing differences among Azad and Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Ghulam Ahmed Mir and the leaders supporting the former have complained against the state unit head.
“I will do what the people of Jammu and Kashmir want me to do for the betterment of this state,” Azad told reporters in reply to a question on whether he would contest as Congress chief ministerial candidate in the next assembly elections keeping in view the demand raised at a public rally in Kathua district.
The leaders, who shared the stage with Azad at the rally and resigned from their posts in the Congress, saying only Azad is acceptable to them as the party’s face in Jammu and Kashmir as well as the chief ministerial candidate, not state Congress chief Gulam Ahmed Mir.
“Mir is not acceptable to us. We want Azad sahib and he should lead the party. He has sacrificed a lot for the party and this area,” former minister Manohar Lal Sharma, who was among the leaders who resigned from party post, said at the Azad-led rally in Kathua.
Azad said he came to know about the resignations of Congress leaders only through newspapers today.
“I am not party to that (resignation by party leaders). I was not consulted. I, myself, read it in the newspapers,” he said.
The veteran leader said that he did not talk to them as it is their personal point of view.
“For me, everyone is equal. I am not with one team or another team. I am not associated with one or another group,” he said.
On the issue of grievances raised by his loyals in the state Congress, Azad said, “There have been grievances.”
Asked about the show of strength of his loyals in Jammu and Kashmir, he said this was not a ‘shakti pradarshan’.
“I travel to internal areas of Jammu and Kashmir. For long it had not been possible because of the state’s bifurcation and then due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is just to know about the people.”
On the internal tussle in the Congress, Azad said it is even there in the ruling party, “we have more internal democracy (in the Congress). Even their ministers speak (against the government). This (internal tussle) shouldn’t happen. It is unfortunate that this is happening”.
Azad is among the G23 leaders who wrote to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi over leadership issues and organisational elections.
Well-placed sources said the party leadership wants to settle the matter as soon as possible keeping in mind that elections are due and also that Azad has good hold over the state unit.
Attacking the JKPCC chief, the disgruntled leaders said the party is heading towards a disastrous situation under him and that a large number of leaders have resigned from Congress and joined other parties, while some of them have chosen to remain silent.
On Wednesday, about a dozen senior leaders loyal to Azad resigned demanding a change in guard. However, many of them said they are not leaving the party, which indicates that they are waiting for an opportunity to work under Azad.
State unit chief’s position weakens
Whatever the Congress high command decides, it is clear that state unit chief Ghulam Ahmed Mir’s future in that post is uncertain.
Dissidents have said they have no trust in him. It is to be seen what the high command decides, considering that Azad is not very close to the Gandhis.
(With PTI Inputs)