Senior J&K leaders from Ghulam Nabi Azad’s party rejoin Congress

Welcoming the leaders back, AICC general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal said the DAP leaders who rejoined the parent party had “never left the Congress” but were on on “a leave of two months”.

Seventeen former leaders of Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Democratic Azad Party (DAP), including former Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Tara Chand and former Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed rejoined the Congress on Friday.

All the leaders had joined DAP after Mr. Azad had quit the Congress in August last year and had floated his own regional outfit a month later, on September 26. Two more DAP leaders, who were not present at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters, would also be formally returning to their old party.

Welcoming the leaders back into the Congress fold, AICC general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal said the DAP leaders who rejoined the parent party had “never left the Congress” but were on on “a leave of two months”.

The move comes as a big boost to the Congress before its Bharat Jodo Yatra enters J&K after two weeks. “The Bharat Jodo Yatra has become a big movement in the country and that is why all these leaders have decided to come back to the Congress fold. This is only a beginning and when the yatra is entering Jammu and Kashmir, all people with Congress ideology and who want a united India will join the party. I think, they had gone on a leave for two months,” Mr. Venugopal said.

Asked to respond to the speculation that Mr. Azad himself could return to the Congress, the AICC general secretary (organisation) pointed out that the DAP chief himself had denied such reports. On the issue of extending an invitation to the former Congress leader to join the yatra, Mr. Venugopal said, “Those who believe in the Congress ideology are welcome to join the Bharat Jodo Yatra. We have invited all like-minded parties to join the yatra”.

He added that National Conference leaders Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah and PDP chief Mehbooba Sayeed will join the yatra and walk with Rahul Gandhi in Srinagar.

“A total of 19 leaders were to join today [Friday], but 17 were able to come to Delhi and join. This is the first phase and others will also join soon,” Congress communication chief Jairam Ramesh said.