Karra joins Congress, vows to fight RSS and 'divisive' forces

Former PDP Lok Sabha member Tariq Hameed Karra on Saturday joined the Congress in the presence of Rahul Gandhi and vowed to fight the RSS and other "divisive" forces to "save the social fabric" of the country.

Karra said his decision was necessitated as the PDP-BJP alliance government was pursuing the "RSS agenda" in Jammu and Kashmir after joining hands with the so-called fascist forces. The founder PDP member also termed as "politically motivated" the statement of army chief General Bipin Rawat on "tough action" against those supporting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

"As far as the army chief's statement is concerned, I feel it is a politically motivated statement. It is very unfortunate that a force like the army, which has been deputed to save the nation's sovereignty, is politicised," he told reporters soon after his formal joining.

Welcoming him into the party fold, Congress vice president Gandhi said, "I am very happy that someone of his stature is joining us. I had met Karra ji in the Lok Sabha and we had some discussions. I welcome him into the Congress party and look forward to working with you".

Karra said, "We will strive, will try our level best to save the social fabric of India". He accused the PDP of pursuing RSS' agenda in the state and said, "My conscience did not allow me to carry on any further and I resigned from PDP as well as from the membership of Lok Sabha".

"We sought votes against BJP so that BJP does not get space in the corridors of power and rest is history and in 2016 when the unrest started in J&K especially Kashmir Valley when both PDP and BJP in connivance with each other maimed people of J&K, mishandled the situation of J&K, jailed people which was against the conscience of Indian polity, blinded people there, killed children of the age of 5 and 8 years," he alleged.

"Basically after PDP backed an agenda of BJP which is dictated by the RSS, the political dynamics of the state changed. People in the state never accepted the inroads made by the RSS into the state politics using PDP-BJP alliance as a tool," Karra said. "The alliance between PDP and BJP had necessitatedneed for realignment of political forces in the state. Kashmir issue has been put in a deep slumber by the ruling alliance," he said.

Party general secretary incharge of J&K Ambika Soni said Karra has been the "conscience keeper" in PDP and had time and again warned it of going on a wrong track and rectify its course.

"When he saw no light at the end of the tunnel, he was compelled to leave the ranks of the PDP and we are very happy to welcome him. He has his own positive views of what the roadmap should be and how we can bring the processes into the mainstream of national politics and how alienation process which has set in can be reversed and can be an integral part of the Indian main stream," Soni said.