Ghulam Nabi Azad, a former Congress leader, claimed on Sunday that only the Congress could face the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly elections, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is "merely a party of UT Delhi."
Mr Azad stated months after leaving the Congress party that he was not against its secularism ideology, but rather its weak party apparatus.
He said that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is only active in the Union Territory of Delhi. During a press conference in Doda district, Azad commended the Congress for its secularism and stated that he was solely opposed to the Congress' weak party system. He also stated unequivocally that he was never opposed to Congress's position of secularism.
"I would still like the Congress to win the assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal," he remarked. Surprisingly, Azad expressed faith in the Congress by stating that it accepts Hindu and Muslim farmers. While complimenting Congress, the party's former top leader was harsh on AAP.
"AAP has failed in Punjab. It can't do anything in these states and the people of Punjab will not vote for AAP again. "Only Congress can run Punjab efficiently. It is the only party that can challenge the BJP in Gujarat and Himachal.
Azad resigned from Congress on August 26, ending his 52-year relationship with the party, and formed his own political organisation, the "Democratic Azad Party."
In his resignation letter to Sonia Gandhi, he attacked the party's leadership, notably Rahul Gandhi, for the way the party has been conducted over the last almost nine years, labelling the Wayanad MP "non-serious" and "immature."
