Samba: Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM, Aam Aadmi Party and Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Democratic Azad Party are three B-teams of BJP in the country, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh claimed Sunday.
“Ghulam Nabi Azad is hassled. His party has not been registered. All his party members have returned to Congress after their leave of absence finished. He is restricted to Doda (district). It has become the Doda Azad party,” Ramesh told a press conference at the end of Bharat Jodo Yatra.
“There are three B teams of BJP in our country, whose only aim is to cut Congress’ vote. First is Owaisi, 2nd is Aam Aadmi Party and third is Ghulam Nabi Azad,” he said.
After severing ties with the Congress on 26 August 2022, Azad launched his party in Jammu a month later in September last year. The Democratic Azad Party has often faced allegations of being the “B-team” of the BJP even as Azad had told ThePrint that he was “independent”. There has been a series of high-profile exits such as former deputy chief minister Tara Chand, former minister Manohar Lal and former MLA Balwan Singh from Azad’s party.
On Day 2 of the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Jammu, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other ‘Bharat yatris’ walked 21 km from Kathua district to Samba district.
The yatra started at 7am after senior leaders Jairam Ramesh and Digvijay Singh paid tributes to senior Congress leader and former finance minister of Jammu & Kashmir, Girdhari Lal Dogra. Hiranagar, where the yatra started, is the birthplace of Dogra.
It was 8 degrees Celsius when the yatra began for the day, while one of the yatris also fainted on the way before the walkathon culminated at 1 PM.
Also Read: Restoration of statehood but no mention of Article 370 — what Ghulam Nabi Azad’s DAP ‘promises’
‘Karan Singh was invited’
While many senior leaders, including former chief minister Farooq Abdullah, extended their support to the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Congress veteran and former Union minister Karan Singh has been missing from the event.
Singh, the son of Jammu & Kashmir’s last Dogra ruler Hari Singh, was also invited for the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
In September, Singh had expressed disappointment at not being invited to join Bharat Jodo Yatra, saying it seemed that the party doesn’t need him anymore.
Responding to ThePrint’s question, AICC incharge Jammu & Kashmir, Rajni Patil said she had personally spoken to Singh. “I personally spoke to him and he said ‘in this situation, I cannot come because of my health’. He said, ‘I cannot travel so much and walk so much, but my best wishes are there. I will talk to Rahul ji’,” Patil said responding to the question.
Jairam Ramesh reminded the media on a lighter note that Karan Singh was a “very young 92-year old”. “He is with the spirit. He is with the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Physically, he may not be in a position to walk. Every senior leader has been invited,” Ramesh said.
Meanwhile, Rahul and the yatra were welcomed by hundreds of people in Samba. Former Punjab chief minister Charanjeet Singh Channi, Punjab MP Ravneet Singh Bittu, J&K Congress president Vikar Rasool, former J&K Congress president G.A. Mir, and Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate accompanied him in the yatra..
Bharat Jodo Yatra is set to enter Jammu city on Monday, where Rahul will be addressing a major rally. But security remains a concern after a twin blast in the city Saturday. The schedule for yatra as of now remains unchanged, ThePrint has learnt.