Days after meeting Sonia Gandhi, Ghulam Nabi Azad hints at retirement from politics

New Delhi, Mar 21: Days after meeting Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, Ghulam Nabi Azad has hinted at bidding goodbye to politics as he intends to work for civil society.

"We have to bring about a change in society. Sometimes I think, and it is not a big deal that suddenly you come to know that I have retired and started doing social service," news agency ANI quoted him as saying at an event in Jammu on Sunday.

"Be it my party or any other regional or national party, I am not forgiving any of them. Civil society should stay together and fight against the evils," the Congress leader said.

He accused politicians of the "evils" in society while expressing his scepticism on political parties bringing positive changes to society. "We (political parties) divided people on the basis of area (Ilaka), region, village and cities, Hindus and Muslim, Shia and Sunnis, Dalit and non-Dalit, divisions in backward classes also. Now, who remains to be a human in all this? Human values have lost priorities amidst the decline...," Azad said.

Criticising communal politics in India, Azad said, "Politics in India has become so ugly that sometimes one has to doubt whether we are human," he said.

He blamed Pakistan for the violence in Jammu and Kashmir. "Pakistan and militancy are responsible for what has happened in Jammu and Kashmir. It has affected all in Jammu and Kashmir, including Hindus, Kashmiri Pandits, Muslims, Dogras," he said.

He called Mahatma Gandhi "the greatest Hindu and the biggest follower of secularism." "Anyone who truly follows religion is truly secular," he added. The Congress leader also blamed militancy for the destruction of Jammu and Kashmir. "We all are human beings first, Hindus and Muslims later. Militancy has destroyed lives in J&K with Pak playing a big role in it. Militants have killed security personnel, cops and left many widowed, be it Kashmiri Pandits or Kashmiri Muslims," he said.

The senior Congress leader, a member of dissenting G-23 group in Congress, had met Sonia Gandhi a few days ago amid a section of the party wanting for a change in the leadership following the poll debacle in recently-held elections in five states.

"The meeting with Sonia Gandhi was good. All members of the Congress party decided unanimously that she (Sonia) should continue as the president; we just had some suggestions that were shared," he added.