'Ghulam Nabi Azad voted for abrogation of Article 370': Altaf Bukhari makes BIG claim

Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari said, "...But let me tell the truth that Azad sahab voted for the abrogation of Article 370".

Pic Credit: File Photo

New Delhi: Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari accused former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad of supporting the abrogation of Article 370 at a press conference on Friday. Bukhari was asked to comment on Azad's new party in Jammu and Kashmir at the event. Responding to this, he said that although Azad defended Article 370 in Parliament, he voted for its abrogation. 

Bukhari said, "...But let me tell the truth that Azad sahab voted for the abrogation of Article 370".

Azad, 73, who has been associated with the Congress for nearly five decades recent quit the party over leadership issues. In his resignation letter, also attacked party chief Sonia Gandhi for applying the "remote control model that demolished the institutional integrity of the UPA government" to the party. He also reminded Sonia Gandhi that she was just a "nominal figurehead" and all the important decisions were being taken by Rahul or "rather worse his security guards and PAs".

Azad slammed Rahul Gandhi's conduct within the party and singled out his action of tearing up a government ordinance in "full glare" of the media. "One of the most glaring examples of this immaturity was the tearing up of a government ordinance in the full glare of the media by Shri Rahul Gandhi," he said.

"The said ordinance was incubated in the Congress Core Group and subsequently unanimously approved by the Union Cabinet presided over by the Prime Minister of India and duly approved even by the President of India. "This 'childish' behaviour completely subverted the authority of the Prime Minister and Government of India," said Azad, who served as Health Minister in the UPA-II government.

(With agency inputs)