Book Review: Ghulam Nabi Azad's Autobiography 'Azaad'

In 1981, the Soviet ambassador to India, Yuliya Vorontsov, invited Ghulam Nabi Azad and his wife Shameem to the Soviet Union. Azad along with his wife went for a long tour. They visited the Black Sea and were bored by it. Then they visited Moscow, Switzerland, and London. 

When they returned to New Delhi, Azad met Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. She told Azad he was taking oath as a minister the next day. Azad was surprised and suggested that she should instead induct the veteran leader from Jammu, Girdhari Lal Dogra, as minister. 

바카라�I want a Ghulam Nabi from J&K,바카라� Gandhi said. Implicit in her remark was that she wanted a Muslim face from the state in her ministry. This is what Azad has narrated in his autobiography 바카라�Azaad바카라� published by Rupa. However, to a well-wisher, Azad has told the incident differently, saying Gandhi told him: 바카라�Jammu and Kashmir, Ghulam Nabi hota hai, Girdhari Lal nahi.바카라�

Azad바카라�s rise in India바카라�s politics has amazed many in Jammu and Kashmir and beyond. His resignation from the Congress party stunned many regional leaders in J&K. Why did he choose to become a regional leader from a national leader having political connections throughout India? In his autobiography, Azad tries to answer this question but fails miserably.

Born in the remote Soti village in the picturesque Bhalessa block of Bhadarwah, known as the little Kashmir, Azad studied at a local school before moving to Jammu and Srinagar cities. It is at Srinagar바카라�s SP College that he studied science and later joined the University of Kashmir and did his M.Sc in zoology from there in 1973.  His father Rahmatullah Batt was a forest contractor and tehsil president of the National Conference. However, it was his uncle Ghulam Rasool Batt that was the guiding light for Azad. 

Ghulam Rasool Bhatt, referred to as Bade Abbaji by Azad in his book, studied in London and on return was appointed as a principal of a government school in RS Pura, Jammu. He became a member of the legislative assembly on teacher quota during 1957-64 and later director of education. Bhatt, a literary figure and educationist, would append Azad to his name. That is why people started referring to the family as Azads. That is how Azad acquired Azad surname.

At the SP College Srinagar that Azad formed an anti-copying front and was part of a cultural committee called Bazm-e-Adab. It was at SP College that he became part of Gandhi Smarak Nidhi (GSN) when the GSN cadres visited the college. This became his reason to join the Congress party, according to the book. That is what Azad says. The GSN had been established after Mahatma Gandhi바카라�s assassination in 1948 to promote Gandhi바카라�s teachings.

In those days, the college politics in Kashmir was divided into two sections: the pro-August 15 and the Pro-August 14 ones. According to Azad, the pro-August 15 group would celebrate India바카라�s independence and Pro-August 14 Pakistan바카라�s. Azad chose August 15. When Azad joined GSN, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was minister in Mir Qasim-led Congress government. Then all of a sudden, we see Azad becomes State President of the Indian Youth Congress while Mufti was President of the Congress. He gets close to Sanjay Gandhi. 

In 1978, Congress forms the All Indian Muslim Youth Congress and Azad became its first president. On December 20, 1978, when the parliament passed a resolution expelling Indira Gandhi for contempt of the House, Azad says it was like 바카라�worst fears coming true바카라�. Gandhi was arrested and Azad along with others was also arrested.

As Charan Singh-led Janata Party government fell, leading to the general elections of 1979, Indira Gandhi told Azad to contest from the Washim constituency of Maharashtra, where during campaigning, Atal Bihari Vajpayee would give taunt of 바카라�Kashmiri boy바카라� to him, accusing Indira Gandhi of 바카라�importing someone from Kashmir바카라�.  And it helped Azad as everyone in Washim was keen to see 바카라�this Kashmiri boy that Vajpayee had taken on바카라�.

In 1980, when election results were declared, Congress won and Azad also won from Washim. In the same year, Azad married his love, the nightingale of Kashmir, Shameem Dev. Azad writes briefly about his love life, telling readers that Shameem바카라�s father and his uncle were friends. Both families were visiting each other and he too was visiting Shameem바카라�s family. She was visiting his family house. 바카라�Love blossomed, and we decided to get married,바카라� writes Azad. The wedding ceremony was held from March 27 to March 29, 1980. Sanjay Gandhi attended the wedding and remained in Srinagar for three days.

Sanjay Gandhi died in a plane crash on June 23, 1980. Immense grief over his death turned Azad unconscious for the next two days. In his own words: 바카라�I would regain the sense in between, only to cry out incoherently and behave erratically, and the doctor had to sedate me.바카라�  A month after Sanjay Gandhi바카라�s death, the Prime Minister called Azad and asked him: 바카라�Don바카라�t you think Rajiv should join politics?바카라� Then we see Azad organising a huge rally on Sanjay Gandhi바카라�s birth anniversary in which Rajiv Gandhi gives a brief address.

A year later, both Azad and Rajiv were touring different states from Kashmir to Meghalaya. Azad talks at length about how close he was to the Gandhi family. 

바카라�One day, in 1981, Indira ji called me to her Akbar Road residence. Rajiv was present too. She told Rajiv, 바카라�now both of you have to work together for years to come. Go with Azad (this is how she would address me) to different parts of the country, but remember one thing: He has a mind of his own and calls a spade a spade for the good of the party. If he can say 바카라�no바카라� to me, you too will not be spared, but that doesn바카라�t mean he disrespects you.바카라�

Azad says that when Indira Gandhi once recommended two names for the post of General Secretary of IYC, he had written to her to say that they didn바카라�t meet the criteria to be included. 바카라�You did the right thing, I was not aware of the criteria details,바카라� Indira Gandhi told him later and Azad concludes that Indira was not dictatorial in her approach.
Indira Gandhi gave portfolios of law, justice, and company affairs to Azad. In 1983, he requested her for information and broadcasting ministry as 바카라�law and justice was Greek바카라� to him. Gandhi gave him a portfolio of his choice. Azad says he proposed hourly news bulletin on the pattern of the BBC for All India Radio (AIR) as those days AIR had only three news bulletins. His senior minister HKL Bhagat rejected the proposal. Azad complained to Indira Gandhi. She called Bhagat and gave him her piece of mind. Next, Bhagat tells Azad, 바카라�You are free to do anything, mere baap.바카라� 

In October 1984, Azad and Rajiv visited Ladakh. They visited Pangong Lake and Chushul and stayed in bunkers. On October 31, 1984, Indira Gandhi was assassinated. Rajiv Gandhi became the Prime Minister. And in the elections held that year, Rajiv Gandhi visited Washim, the constituency of Azad, and addressed the gathering over there. As the Congress registered a historic victory by winning 414 seats, Azad wants us to believe that his suggestion to Rajiv Gandhi that if 바카라�any of our Lok Sabha candidates trailed in any segment of Assembly segment of his Lok Sabha constituency, the MLA concerned will be denied re-nomination in forthcoming elections바카라� played a huge role in the landslide victory. Rajiv gives the portfolio of Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs to Azad.

In 1986, Azad was given the portfolio of the MoS for Home Affairs with Butta Singh as his senior minister. Seven months later, Azad visited the Prime Minister and sought food and supplies ministry and he was given. During the Bofors controversy, Azad stood by Rajiv. Subsequently, he was made in-charge of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh and Azad travelled widely in both states to revive the fortune of the Congress. In the 1989 general elections, Congress lost polls and VP Singh became the Prime Minister and Rajiv started devoting more time to the party. Azad was sure that the VP Singh government would not survive for long.

As the militancy erupted in Kashmir in 1989 and the government sent Jagmohan as governor to Jammu and Kashmir, leading to the resignation of Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, Azad blamed the Centre바카라�s mismanagement responsible for the crises.

As the BJP is praising Azad these days, one wonders what could be BJP바카라�s take on Azad바카라�s view about Kashmiri Pandits바카라� migration from the Valley. 바카라�The Centre바카라�s mismanagement of the problem led to the mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits, which remains a blot on the people of Kashmir in general and the Janata Dal government in particular, whose representative, Governor Jagmohan, was heading the government in J&K at that time.바카라�

Azad says Pandits were facilitated to migrate to Jammu in public transport arranged by the government, 바카라�thus making their return to their homes more problematic바카라�. 바카라�Most people, including the Pandits, thought the migration would be a temporary matter and once the situation normalized in six months or so, those who had left would return. That never happened because the situation in Kashmir turned from bad to worse in the coming years,바카라� writes Azad. 

Azad바카라�s family had to migrate from his native place Bhalesa after militant threats. And his brother-in-law Tassaduq was abducted by militants and was released after six months of captivity.

While Azad held the minority government of VP Singh responsible for the deteriorating situation in Kashmir, the government soon fell and Chandra Shekhar took over. In March 1991, the Chandra Shekhar government fell as Congress withdrew support to it after taking exception to the Haryana police keeping two constables to keep an eye on Rajiv바카라�s residence. Azad calls it an unwise decision over an unimportant issue. On May 21, 1991, Azad heard news of Rajiv바카라�s assassination when he was in the Vidarbha region. 

바카라�I sobbed throughout the train journey바카라�I was vomiting blood while coughing,바카라� writes Azad.

PV Narasimha Rao, who had refused to contest Lok Sabha elections and had decided to retire from politics and had not campaigned for the party, was persuaded to become the Prime Minister. 

On December 6, 1992, both Prime Minister and Home Minister were not reachable from the morning when the demolition of the Babri Mosque began, Azad reveals. He also adds that the Prime Minister had conveyed to him that being the parliamentary affairs minister he could inform to the parliament that Home Minister will resign. After Azad announced it and the parliament started functioning smoothly for a few days as the members from Left and other parties waited for the resignation of the Home Minister, the Prime Minister told Azad to 바카라�forget바카라� the resignation. 
Azad writes, 바카라�Clearly, the PM was buying time as he had no desire to axe Chavan. It reminds me of Rao바카라�s famous quote: 바카라�Not taking a decision is also a decision!바카라�바카라�

From 1991 to 1996, Azad would visit Jammu and Kashmir frequently as per instructions of Prime Minister Rao. Azad gives the impression that Rao was frequently calling him and also seeking his suggestion, especially in times of crisis. Azad says Rao told him one day: 바카라�Arey Bhai, your good Madhavrao Scindia has resigned, and he refused to reconsider his decision.바카라� Azad tried to intervene but failed. Rao gave the Ministry of Civil Aviation to Azad.  Azad tells us that Chandraswami was close to Rao. 바카라�They were so intimate that Rao sometimes would leave in the middle of the Cabinet and CWC meetings to meet Chandraswami in an adjacent room,바카라� writes Azad. At one Cabinet meeting, Azad says he posed a question: 바카라�I want to know who the PM  is: Rao or Chandraswami?바카라� Pin-drop silence descended the room at my audacity.바카라�

In 1996 polls, BJP won 161 seats and Congress 140 seats. Azad blames Rao for the defeat. In the CWC meeting, Azad gave a speech in the presence of Rao: 바카라�Mr President, no doubt, you were one of the best PMs we have had바카라�But let me say that you were also the worst president that Congress ever had바카라�since we are in the fiftieth year of our independence, and senior leader Sitaram Kesri is the only CWC member who dons a Gandhi cap, I propose his name to be the new president.바카라�

However, during Kesri바카라�s presidency, Azad tells he took on him as well when the former insisted to restore the membership of those Congress workers in Haryana and UP that Azad had declared as bogus being in charge of both states. Kesri, according to Azad, had promised him vice-presidentship of the party. Azad told him to his face: 바카라�I believed that being a Gandhian, you would uphold personal and professional integrity, but you want to use wrongful means to win by a record margin.바카라�

While Azad complains that after Kesri, many colleagues would tell him that he would have been the best person to head the organisation had he not been a Muslim. 

바카라�Unfortunately, this mindset developed after independence and it continues till date. That is why in 75 years after independence, no leader from the Muslim community has become the president of the Congress party. On the other hand, during the period of 62 years since the Congress party was born in 1885 till 1947, the party had as many as 16 presidents from the minority community, which included eight Muslims, five Christians and three Parsis,바카라� writes Azad.

Sonia Gandhi was not interested in becoming president of the party but she agreed after senior leaders like Azad persisted her. 바카라�In the beginning, she provided leadership to our party. She was a great listener and would always seek the advice of senior leaders on important issues,바카라� Azad recollects.  Sonia made Azad in-charge Rajasthan and then general secretary of AICC with responsibility for Karnataka바카라�s 1999 Assembly polls. That year Karnataka polls were held with Lok Sabha elections as Vajpayee바카라�s government lost a vote of confidence on April 17, 1999. 

Later, Azad was made General Secretary in charge of UP and Uttarakhand after the party performed well in southern states under his watch. Done with elections of these two states, Azad was made PCC chief of J&K in 2002. The party won the 20 seats and with a coalition formed a government with Mufti Mohammad Sayeed-led Peoples Democratic Party. Azad claims that Mufti, an old Congressman, broke his trust and became CM though his party stood third in the polls.

With Mufti CM of J&K, Azad was made in charge of Andhra Pradesh. While visiting remote corners of the state, Azad faced difficulty as there were no indoor toilets and like others he too was defecating openly. 바카라�But then I faced another problem. After I was done, I tried to rise up but to my horror that I couldn바카라�t, not because of my age, but because I was used to western-style commode and not to squatting on the ground. Thereafter, whenever I stayed back at night in our workers바카라� homes in villages, I carried along a wooden stick for assistance in getting up,바카라� recalls Azad in the book.
After Congress won Andhra, Azad was given parliamentary affairs ministry and he became Chief Minister of J&K in 2005. 

바카라�On May 26, 2008, my government had reached an agreement to transfer 99 acres of forest land to the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board for setting up temporary shelters and facilities for Hindu pilgrims visiting the shrine from all over the country. This resulted in a huge religion-based political controversy. The PDP members, who had been part of the Cabinet decision to introduce the bill, resigned from the Cabinet after the bill바카라�s passage,바카라� Azad reveals. 

As the PDP withdrew support, Azad resigned. Azad wants us to believe that he could have survived as Chief Minister had he adopted jod-tod methods  but he didn바카라�t as 바카라�I have been always against jod-tod바카라�. Soon Azad became a Rajya Sabha member and after swearing in, he was inducted into the cabinet on May 22, 2009. 

바카라�I spoke with Sonia ji over the telephone and requested I be given the health and family welfare portfolio바카라�Sonia ji advised I talk directly with Dr Singh (Dr Manmohan Singh) with whom I shared a good understanding. I telephoned the PM and he was surprised that someone as senior as me should be asking for a 바카라�lightweight바카라� portfolio. He had probably expected me to seek a major ministry,바카라� writes Azad. 

Azad gets the portfolio he desired and then enumerates his achievements in the health ministry like increasing seats in the government medical colleges aacross the country and making the country polio-free.

While the 2014 elections were etched in history as the BJP became the first party since 1984 to win a majority on its own, Azad didn바카라�t become jobless. He was the leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, a position he held till his retirement from the upper house in February 2021. On August 5, 2019, when Article 370 was abrogated, Azad says he went into the well of the House to protest and asked other Congress members to join and, except Jairam Ramesh, all joined. 

바카라�No top leaders of Congress had spoken on Article 370 except Manish Tiwari and Shashi Tharoor, both members of G-23,바카라� writes Azad, seemingly taking pride in G-23 leaders.

Azad recollects his relations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

바카라�A lot has been said about my relationship with him. I have known Modi since the 1990s, when he was general secretary of the party and I was general secretary of mine,바카라� Azad says. They would interact over tea after TV debates and later as Health Minister he would interact with him. He calls Modi a great listener and says he never 바카라�attacked me personally바카라�. Azad is angry that the PM바카라�s farewell speech on his retirement from the Upper House made the Congress leadership unhappy and critical and he was described as a BJP man. Azad wants to say he had nothing personal against any of his political opponents. 

바카라�I treat political opponents as competitors, not enemies,바카라� writes Azad.

After the completion of his Rajya Sabha tenure, Azad conceded that for the first time in his political career, he had no political work. He describes the G23 letter of August 2020 to Sonia Gandhi as an effort to revive Congress. After the letter, Azad rues that he was dropped 바카라�from the general secretary바카라�. 바카라�So from February till August 2022, I had no party or legislative work to do,바카라� writes Azad. 

On August 26, 2202, Azad resigned with a 바카라�heavy heart바카라�. 

바카라�When I realised that my ambition of seeing of the Congress party back in power was not in line with the present-day leadership of the Congress, I felt I should build my own nest, which I could mature myself,바카라� writes Azad.

There are interesting anecdotes in Azad바카라�s book. In 1975, Azad organised a one-day convention of Congress workers at district headquarters in Anantnag. He recollects, 바카라�One Mr Raju, Congress general secretary in-charge of South India, was invited as chief guest. At the convention, Mufti and other Congress leaders spoke in Kashmiri against Sheikh sahab (Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah). Raju couldn바카라�t understand a word, but he was told that Sheikh Sahab was being praised. But when Raju started speaking in English, the interpreter was told by Mufti to translate his speech totally contrary to what Raju was speaking.바카라� 

Sheikh is no longer a favourite within the present ruling regime either. And Azad is gushing in praise of autocratic Dogra Maharajas. In times when the government is reinventing Dogra Maharajas and erasing Sheikh바카라�s legacy in Jammu and Kashmir, Azad is already singing songs in praise of the Dogra rulers, calling them great reformers.

Azad's autobiography is about how much azaadi 바카라�freedom바카라� he had in Congress though he tries to lay more emphasis on writing about how hardworking and dedicated Congressman he was. He highlights that he could say no to Indira Gandhi at a very young age and when he was only in the Indian Youth Congress, that he could confront Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao over the Chandraswami issue, that he could rebuke Congress president Sitaram Kesri to his face, that he could seek a portfolio of his choice from Manmohan Singh and get it, that he could write a G23 letter to Sonia Gandhi and still enjoy being the leader of the opposition in the Upper House. 

In Jammu and Kashmir where he is trying to build what Azad says his 바카라�own nest바카라�, some seasoned regional political leaders are puzzled and shocked over Azad바카라�s return to Jammu and Kashmir with an ambition to be a regional leader. What is there for Azad in the UT of J&K?

Azad바카라�s book throws many questions. Was Azad really a tall leader who was a dominant figure in the Congress party for the past 50 years or was he just the right man at the right time? And when the times changed for Congress, instead of waiting, the boy from little Kashmir prefer to move back to the mountains, which are politically barren these days.

Like Narasimha Rao, who in 1991 had packed his bags to settle and retire in Andhra Pradesh, Azad could have chosen the road of the retirement for himself and maybe his political fortunes would have changed like Rao바카라�s. Who knows? But he chose to return to Jammu and Kashmir, which is not even a state now. But why? Azad gives no answers in his autobiography 바카라�Azaad바카라�.