I won’t consider myself an Oppn leader, I will stay neutral: Ghulam Nabi Azad

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and Congress rebel Ghulam Nabi Azad’s memoir, titled ‘Azaad’, documents politics over the past five decades. Providing a ringside view to the corridors of power, Azad is critical of his former party in his memoir, describing its behaviour as “bloopers and bombast”. In a conversation with Sunetra Choudhury, he argued that while senior BJP leaders would like to see competition from a strong Congress party, the latter isn’t doing enough. Azad, who is seen to be close to PM Narendra Modi, also spoke about the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Edited excerpts:

Do you consider yourself an opposition leader?

I don’t think I have reached that stage because I must win some seats first in the state to claim to be in the opposition. I can say my voice will be totally neutral. I will not work on preconceived things. I will call a spade, a spade. Whatever is good, I will appreciate. Whatever is bad, I will oppose. Whatever is in the interest of the country, I must appreciate as a countryman, and whatever is not in the interest of the country, I will definitely oppose, whosoever he or she may be, which political party, irrespective of what their ideology may be.

Regarding Kashmir, I want to come to the episode you describe in your book about what happened post the abrogation of Article 370. You said that you immediately went and sat on a dharna in Rajya Sabha but people like Jairam Ramesh, your colleague, didn’t. What happened?

I don’t think he thought it fit. Perhaps he was in the favour of the abrogation of Article 370. Everybody said that he remained in his seat.

So Article 370 issue is still one factor that you have against the BJP? 

No. There may be other problems. Any rule or any political party who is in power, you can’t say that they are doing everything good, but you can’t also say that they are doing everything bad. And it is with each political party in government. The good and bad, they go together.