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| Azad misses key date with Jammu | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Oct 15: Sustaining unexpected victimhood of organizational lobbying in the state unit of his Congress party, the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad today missed a key date with the prominent citizenry of Jammu as a cross-section of who’s who lined up at an invite of what they called as ‘Diwali Milan’.
In a party atmosphere one-sidedly taken over by his bête noire and the state president of the Congress,
Saif-ud-Din Soz, Azad’s Diwali Milan was much in talk for the past fortnight. Written invitations were sent to many, others were invited over phone and since last evening an SMS was doing rounds in the town inviting the leftouts with an attraction tag that “Ghulam Nabi Azad shall be the Chief Guest”.
The banners on the walls of Ashoka Hotel’s banquet hall welcomed Ghulam Nabi Azad to the Diwali Milan but the Chief Guest could not turn up. Party leaders and lawyers at the venue said that a close relative of Azad had been hospitalized in Delhi forcing him to put the Jammu visit off but an official release this evening suggested that Azad was himself unwell. Nevertheless, the former Deputy Chief Minister and out of power Azad loyalist Mangat Ram Sharma took over as Chief Guest.
Today’s function was billed as the one to showcase strength of Azad within party and the general civil society. However, not a single Minister had turned up at the venue where former Minister and diehard Azad loyalist Abdul Ghani Vakil, former Chief Secretary turned politician and now MLC BR Kundal were the most prominent faces. The function was also attended by Divisional Commissioner of Jammu and some leaders from other political parties besides hundreds of Congress workers.
Former Jammu Bar President and a latest confidante of Azad explained the logic of Diwali Milan. Pointing towards prominent lawyer Sheikh Shakil Ahmed, standing by him, Slathia said, “Muslim lawyers had hosted an Eid Milan party for the Hindu lawyers and today’s event was goodwill reciprocation”. He added, “this speaks of secularism of Jammu”. However, an official handout released by the government this evening claimed that the “Congress had organized a mega Diwali Milan at Jammu”. Later in the release attributed it to the “lawyers associated with the Congress”.
The handout further said, “highlighting the purpose of organizing Diwali Milan, senior Congress leader, Mr. Abdul Gani Vakil asserted that strengthening unity and integrity of nation forms the priority of every Indian. He said the function is in continuation to the tradition of celebrating Diwali and Eid Milan set by former Chief Minister, Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad to maintain communal harmony and restore peace in the state. He said due to ill health, Mr. Azad could not attend the function and former Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. Mangat Ram Sharma graced the function as chief guest on his behalf. Such occasions not only bridge the communal gaps but also frustrate the nefarious designs of mischievous elements inimical to peace and tranquility in the state, he added”.
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