BUNTY MAHAJAN
JAMMU, MARCH 20:
Days after meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi, senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad here in Jammu on Sunday hinted at retirement from politics and starting social work.
“We have to bring about a change in the society. Sometimes I think and it is not a big deal that suddenly you come to know that I have retired and started doing social service,’’ Azad said addressing members of civil society at a function organized here by president of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association and senior advocate, M.K. Bhardwaj. The function was organized to honour Azad for the award of Padma Bhushan to him in recognition to his service in public life.
Significantly, people from all walks of life and political affiliations were present on the occasion. Apart from Bhardwaj, prominent among them included former Director General of Police Dr S P Vaid, former Jammu University vice chancellors R R Sharma and R D Sharma, former Advocate General Aslam Goni, retired Government Medical College principal Dr H L Goswami, president Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry Arun Gupta, eminent journalist and member J&K Waqf Board Suhail Kazmi.
After meeting Sonia Gandhi, Azad had said that “it was decided already in the Working Committee that she should continue. That is not the issue. Nobody has said that Mrs Gandhi should just quit. Let me tell you very clearly. That we decided in the Working Committee”. This meeting between Sonia Gandhi and Azad had come after a meeting of G23 leaders.
Expressing doubts that any political party will bring any change as they are responsible for 90 per cent of the evils present in the society, Azad said that they have divided people in the name of religion, area, village and city and now among dalits and upper castes, Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs. “I don’t understand that if there are only castes today then who has been left as human being,’’ he asked.
“Politics in India has become so ugly that sometimes he doubts whether we are humans,’’ he said, adding that “political parties only divide 24×7, be it my party, regional or national, they divide people”.
Pointing out that he didn’t join politics from Congress but from the father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi. “Gandhi was the biggest Hindu, but he was secular too. To think that if a Hindu do Pooja path is not secular, it has been proven wrong by Mahatma Gandhi himself. The one who worships is the biggest secular, Gandhi died while offering prayers,” he added.
He asked the civil society members to fight for justice to all irrespective or region and religion. “An incident of murder of Gujjar girl happened, when Police went to arrest those involved some people stood in their support; the whole country stood against it despite religious lines. Entire India stood up for justice to that little girl,” he recalled, adding that Jammu, which has emerged as a cosmopolitan city after Delhi should be like that.
