Within hours after the veteran leader Ghulam Nabi Azad floated his new political outfit after snapping his 50-year-long relations with Congress, his disciple-turned-foe Vikar Rasool Wani called his former political mentor a "puppet" of the ruling BJP.
"It is an open secret that the political party floated by Ghulam Nabi Azad is a creation of BJP to divide secular votes", Vikar Rasool, who was recently appointed as president of the Jammu and Kashmir Congress, said.
On the auspicious occasion of the first Navratra on Monday, Azad launched Democratic Azad Party (DAP) a new political party in Jammu.
Although Azad avoided attacks on any political party while launching his own outfit, Congress wasted no time stepping up attacks on the former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
Interestingly, Congress deputed Azad's former disciple Vikar Rasool to take charge of launching an offensive against his ex-political mentor.
"As a shrewd politician, Azad will try to give an impression that his party will adopt its own agenda and programme but in reality, the newly floated political outfit is controlled and sponsored by BJP", Vikar Rasool said during an interaction with media persons at Kashmir.
"Already J&K Apni Party and one another political outfit in J&K is controlled and sponsored by BJP now another political party has been floated by the Union Government", he said.
J&K Congress president mentioned the decision of the Union Government to give the Padma Award to Ghulam Nabi Azad and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's emotional speech in the Parliament to expose relations between BJP and Azad.
We consider all political parties as competitors not enemies: Azad
On Monday, after launching the "Democratic Azad Party", Ghulam Nabi Azad said, "We have no enmity with rival political parties. We consider all the political parties as our competitors like students in a class, who work hard for getting good grades for their performance".
Azad announced that his party would seek the support of the people based on his performance during his tenure as Chief Minister of J&K.
"I wish to accomplish my unfinished agenda in Jammu and Kashmir if voted to power by my people," Azad stated and reiterated that his party has already declared that restoration of statehood and protecting jobs and lands locals are priority areas.
"I welcome such people who wish to serve the people with dedication, commitment, and honesty and not making money in politics", he said.
"We need young, educated, visionary people with a clean track record. The real purpose of politics is to serve the people. I consider Mahatma Gandhi as my ideal since my college days and will continue to follow his principles even in my new party," Azad added.
