Who is Ghulam Nabi Azad?

Former Indian Union Minister and veteran Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad caused a huge commotion on Friday, August 26, 2022, when he announced his resignation from the party. The former health minister and opposition leader in Rajya Sabha also lambasted the Congress leadership, including Rahul Gandhi, in his five-page long resignation letter to Sonia Gandhi, and said he is leaving with a ‘heavy heart’.

Azad rose to fame soon after joining Congress in the 1970s. He later became the 7th Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, before becoming the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare in 2009 during the UPA 2 government. 

Also Read: Former Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad resigns from Congress

Who is Ghulam Nabi Azad?

Azad was born on March 7, 1949, in a small village called Soti in the Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir to Rahamatullah Batt and Basa Begum. He began his studies in the local school, before pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Science from GGM Science College. Later, he also pursued a master’s degree in Zoology from the University of Kashmir in Srinagar in 1972.

Azad joined Congress soon after his graduation and started to work as a secretary to the Block Congress Committee in Bhalessa in 1973. In 1974, he became the Jammy and Kashmir Youth Congress president, before becoming the All India Youth Congress president six years later.

During his stint as the All India Youth Congress president, Ghulam Nabi Azad inducted a young Rajiv Gandhi into the party. Two years later, he became the Deputy Minister of Law and Justice in the Central government.

Right after becoming a Deputy Minister, Azad was also elected as an MP in 1984. He was also elected to the Rajya Sabha, however, resigned in 2006 to become the Chief Minister of Jammy and Kashmir.

Also Read: Adani Group says RRPR is obligated to transfer NDTV shares to VPCL

Azad resigned from the Chief Minister’s office in 2008, following PDP’s withdrawal from the government. However, he soon became a Union Minister in the second United Progressive Alliance government under the leadership of Dr Manmohan Singh. As the health minister, he undertook several health missions aimed at the poor and underdeveloped regions of the country.

When the National Democratic Alliance rose to power in 2014, Ghulam Nabi Azad became the leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha. He later became part of the G-23 group that sought changes in the Congress leadership but resigned from the party on August 26, 2022.