Former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad’s remark at a gathering in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir in which he said that “all individuals were initially associated with Hinduism in this nation. ”
A video on social media has gone viral in which Ghulam Nabi Azad said that the Muslims in India owe their origin to Hinduism. He added that Islam is merely 1500 years old. Azad added that all Muslims were previously Hindus and it is later that they converted.
Hinduism existed before Islam, and all were born into this religion. Islam arrived only 1500 years ago. Even in Kashmir, there were no Muslims 600 years ago; everyone was a Kashmiri Pandit.
– Gulam Nabi Azad, President of DPAP pic.twitter.com/Dw6I6h3J5J
— Organiser Weekly (@eOrganiser) August 17, 2023
He further added that all the Muslims in the valley were previously Kashmiri Pandits and later on they converted to Islam. Azad has been Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir from 2005 to 2008.
Azad further said that Hinduism was one of the oldest religions and the Mughal Army brought a mere 10-20 Muslims to India while the majority were converted.
Azad Parted Ways from Congress; Openly critical of Congress leadership and Rahul Gandhi
It was last year on September 26, that Ghulam Nabi Azad floated his own political outfit, the ‘Democratic Azad Party.’ The move came after he moved out from the Congress party with which he was associated for almost five decades.
Azad had served as member of parliament in both the houses and was also the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Azad’s decision to move out of the party came at a time when several other prominent leaders left the Congress party.
During his farewell from the Rajya Sabha, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given an emotional speech in which he had lauded Azad.
Azad had openly lashed at the Congress party when Rahul Gandhi assumed the role of the Congress vice president. He stated that the consultative framework was undermined during Rahul Gandhi’s rule as Congress Vice President and the experienced leaders were sidelined.
In his resignation letter to Sonia Gandhi, he had targeted party leadership, particularly Rahul Gandhi, over the way the party has been run in the past nearly nine years. In the hard-hitting five-page letter, Azad had claimed that a coterie runs the party while Sonia Gandhi was just “a nominal head” and all the major decisions were taken by “Rahul Gandhi or rather worse his security guards and PAs”.
He was earlier Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha. Recounting his long association with the Congress, Azad had said the situation in the party has reached a point of “no return.” While Azad took potshots at Sonia Gandhi in the letter, his sharpest attack was on Rahul Gandhi and he described the Wayand MP as a “non-serious individual” and “immature”.
Ghulam Nabi Azad exposed Rahul Gandhi, said he met undesirable businessmen
Ghulam Nabi Azad alleged that Rahul Gandhi would meet with undesirable businessman during his visit to foreign countries. He said, “It is shameful that Rahul Gandhi is saying this. Their entire family has, all along, had an association with businessmen. That includes him (Rahul Gandhi). I have a great respect for the family. I can give you ten examples of where he would go and meet, even outside the country, to meet people who are undesirable businessmen,” in his interview with Asianet.
Ghulam Nabi Azad said, “I don’t feel very happy to see the Congress go down the drain because of the folly of some half-a-dozen people who are not interested in the future of the party; they are only interested in their own projection in the media and public.”
Furthermore, he claimed that the younger Congress leaders are more frustrated with Rahul Gandhi compared to older leaders and said, “Most of those who left were part of Rahul Gandhi’s team. They left because of the lack of leadership and direction from Rahul Gandhi.”
