- A big statement has come to the fore of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who broke away from Congress and formed DPAP.
- He says, ‘All were Hindus before, became Muslims after converting’.
- They are telling the people of Jammu and Kashmir that ‘Hinduism is older than Islam, all Muslims in India were Hindus first’.
- The chief of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party said this while addressing a gathering in the Doda district on August 14.
Ghulam Nabi Azad courts controversy, says, ‘All were Hindus before, became Muslims after converting’. The chief of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party said this while addressing a gathering in the Doda district on August 14. Former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad stirred a hornet’s nest with his controversial comment on the origin of Muslims and saying that Hinduism is older than Islam.
While addressing a gathering in Doda district, the former Congress leader said, “We have the example of Kashmir, 600 years ago there was no Muslim in Kashmir, Kashmiri Pandits were converted to Islam. Not only in India but also in the world, Islam came 1500 years ago, Hinduism is very old.” The chief of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party said, “Islam must have come from outside, 10-20 people from the Mughal army. The rest have converted from Hindu-Sikh.”
In the video which has gone viral, Azad said, “We have built the state for the Hindus, Muslims, Dalits, Kashmiris. This is our land, no one has come here from outside. I have seen many things in Parliament which do not reach you. One of our fellow MPs said some have come from outside. I denied. In our Hindustan, Islam is just 1500 years old. Hinduism is very old, so 10-20 of them must have come from outside when they were in their army during the time of the Mughals, the rest all have converted from Hindu to Muslim in India, and our Kashmir is an example of that.”
He further said, “Who was a Muslim in Kashmir 600 years ago? All were Kashmiri Pandits, all converted to Islam. So I said all were born in this religion.
Ghulam Nabi Azad is an Indian politician who served as Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha between 2014 and 2021. He also served as the Chief Minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir from 2005 to 2008. On 26 September 2022, Azad announced his own political party as Democratic Progressive Azad Party. He is the chief patron cum founder of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party.
Azad served as Minister of Health and Family Welfare. He served as the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs in the Manmohan Singh government until 27 October 2005, when he was appointed as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. On 26 August 2022, Azad resigned from Indian National Congress and mulled creating a new party at the national level.
He also led the party successfully in the 2002 Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir. He was bestowed with the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award, in 2022 by the Indian Government in the field of Public Affairs.
(With inputs from agencies)
