Srinagar : Ghulam Nabi Azad, a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, on Sunday dispelled “rumours” by stating that he had no interest in taking up the position of lieutenant governor. The former leader of the Congress declared he was not looking for work but rather wished to assist the people of J-K. “I will ask people not to believe the rumour mills, which are operating at full capacity. There is a recent report going around that Ghulam Nabi Azad will take over as LG. Speaking at a gathering to commemorate the founding day of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP), which he founded last year after breaking with the Congress, Azad stated, “I have not come (to JK) searching for a job, I want to serve the people.Azad claimed that certain individuals were attempting to suggest that he was seeking rehabilitation. “I left two prestigious (Union) ministries—Housing and Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs—when I arrived here in 2005 (as chief minister) to serve the people. In response to charges that he returned to JK politics at the BJP’s request, he claimed, “It wasn’t like I was without work. Azad claimed that the two primary issues facing Jammu and Kashmir are unemployment and inflation, which he wants to address by making the most of the area’s tourism potential. “Inflation is rising. It is true that India is not the only country with inflation.The largest inflation rate is in Europe, but they have alternative strategies to combat it. We live in a poor state, and unemployment is rising. Jobs are nonexistent. Although government vacancies are advertised, no interviews are conducted. The parents of educated kids have spent all of their savings on their education, and the youth themselves have no jobs. According to the previous chief minister, tourism has the capacity to generate income for all facets of society. “One Tulip Garden (created in 2007) has given thousands of people a means of subsistence. In each district of Jammu and Kashmir, as CM, I had a plan to create 10 to 12 tourism attractions.He continued, “I had plans to give loans to people for the construction of homestay facilities that may give them employment prospects. Azad called the Centre’s 2019 repeal of Article 370 and 35A a “great mistake” and referenced them. “Over a long period of time, there were some political errors that caused the state to move backward rather than forward. Another serious error was committed in the last nine years when Article 370 and Article 35A were eliminated.After Independence, Article 35A and then Article 35B were not published. The Maharaja (Hari Singh) brought it in 1925. I stated in Parliament that the BJP would not have touched Articles 370 and 35A if they had known this. We were further back because of this error. It was unclear if the land would remain with us or not, he said. Azad urged party officials to refrain from criticising opponents personally. He responded, “Why should I comment on someone’s appearance? I have indicated earlier that we were the victims of a political hoax. For individuals responsible for the drug mafia’s operations in Jammu and Kashmir, he sought the death penalty. “Drug misuse has grown to be a serious issue. Drug dealing has made a lot of people millions. He suggested hanging them to death.
