Three senior leaders expelled for hobnobbing with Congress: DAP

Jammu, Dec 24 (PTI) Defending the decision to expel three of its prominent members, the Democratic Azad Party (DAP), headed by Ghulam Nabi Azad, on Saturday said these leaders were found hobnobbing with those from the Congress.

Former Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister Tara Chand, former minister Manohar Lal Sharma and former MLA Balwan Singh were expelled by the DAP on Thursday, citing their “anti-party” activities.

The development came days after Chand was appointed as the vice-chairman of the DAP, while Sharma and Singh were appointed general secretaries.

“We do not believe in the politics of manipulation… They were in constant touch with the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) leadership and were acting against the party’s interests,” DAP general secretary and former Jammu and Kashmir minister R S Chib told reporters here.

Chib, who was flanked by other senior DAP leaders including the party’s Jammu provincial president Jugal Kishore Sharma, said Azad was initially reluctant to take action against the three but when he was convinced about their negative role, he took the decision to expel them.

“We will not accept them back,” he said, denouncing the leaders for levelling wild allegations against Azad over the launch of the new party that he wanted to divide secular votes and favour one particular political party.

“When we were in the Congress and infighting was going on for the last three years, these leaders were leading the struggle against the then PCC president (G A Mir). This party (DAP) came into being because of this group after a series of meetings both in Delhi and in Jammu and Kashmir,” Chib said.

He said these were the leaders who counselled Azad to form a regional party, stating that they have no respect left in the Congress and promising financial help as the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister was initially reluctant to launch his own party.

Chib said Azad has always maintained that the DAP is secular and has no connection with those who are not secular.

“Since the party was formed, how many times did these leaders speak against the BJP? It is known to everyone in the party that they cancelled their scheduled meeting on the advice of the PCC president (Vikar Rasool Wani),” he said.

Sharma said Azad’s stand on the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into Union territories is well known.

“He opposed the move vociferously in Parliament and even told the home minister ‘you have destroyed Jammu and Kashmir with your policies’,” Sharma said.