Joined Congress when it was ‘taboo’ in J&K: Ghulam Nabi Azad in resignation letter

New Delhi, Aug 26: Dealing a huge blow, veteran leader, Ghulam Nabi Azad quit the Congress today.

In his five page resignation letter, the 73 year old leader who earlier this year received the Padma Bhushan wrote about how he had joined the party when it was still a taboo in Jammu and Kashmir.

"I had joined the Indian National Congress in 1970s when it was still a taboo to be associated with the party given its chequered history in the state from August 8, 1953 onwards - the arrest of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah being the nadir of its political myopia," he wrote.

He also said that he drew inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhai Patel. "Subsequently on insistence of Sanjay Gandhi, I agreed to shoulder the responsibility of Jammu and Kashmir Youth National Congress in 1975-76," he further wrote.