SRINAGAR: Set to launch his political party, former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Sunday said he would not mislead people on the restoration of Article 370 of the constitution, which granted greater autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir and was revoked three years ago by the BJP government at the centre.
Hitting out the regional parties for "misleading people" by promising them to push for the restoration of Article 370, Azad, who quit Congress last month, said, “Azad knows what can and cannot be done. I or the Congress party or three regional parties cannot give you back Article 370, neither can (TMC chief) Mamata Banerjee, or DMK or (NCP chief) Sharad Pawar.”
He also announced that he would be launching his party within the next ten days to "fight politics of exploitation and falsehood".
Addressing his first public meeting in North Kashmir's Baramulla, Azad, 73, said, “For votes, I will not mislead and exploit you. Please don't raise issues that can't be achieved; 370 can't be restored. It needs a two-thirds majority in parliament.”
"I swear before God that I will not mislead you. I will not raise slogans or issues over which I have no control," Azad added.
His stance is at odds with most regional parties, including Congress, which have signed a pact to campaign for the restoration of Article 370 - which granted special powers to the state.
"It's another deception to provoke people for agitation and get them killed. So long Azad is alive, I will fight against falsehood. You will have to kill me if you want to silence this idea," he added.
Targeting Congress, Azad, who served the grand old party for 52 years, said the party is "going down" with every election, and there is no party in India which can get a majority in parliament and restore Article 370.
The former Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha said it was only Congress dissidents known as the G-23, which he was a part of, who had spoken out against the changes to Kashmir's status in parliament.
Speaking about his new political party, Azad said it would be 'Azad' (independent), like his name, in its ideology and thinking.
"My party will be Azad. Many of my colleagues said we should name the party Azad. But I said never. But, its ideology will be independent and will not join or merge with any other. That may happen after my death, but not till then," he said.
The veteran politician said his focus would be on what is achievable like the restoration of statehood to J-K, which had been downgraded to union territory three years ago, giving exclusive rights over jobs and land to its people and bringing development.
"I will not raise emotive slogans for winning seats. We will have to fight for the restoration of statehood. For this, there is no need for a constitutional amendment," said the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister.
Referring to the speech of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who got emotional and struggled to speak in Parliament during Azad’s farewell from the Rajya Sabha last year, the leader said that when he was chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, some tourists from Gujarat were killed by militants.
“I got emotional and wept when I saw the pieces of their bodies lying there; their children hugged me and were crying. I am a human being. Modi was the CM of Gujarat then. He called me several times. My PA told him I was weeping and cannot talk and will talk to him later,” Azad recalled.
He said Modi kept calling him throughout the day, which was why he got emotional during his RS farewell.
“The people of Kashmir should take pride in Modi's remarks, about what he said about humanity and the hospitality of the people of Kashmir. But, the leaders of Congress have never asked me about that. Because they do not have a heart, they use you and throw you away. Those leaders of opposition whom I have abused have respected my humanity, my honesty and my work. So, what is wrong with that," he said.