Ghulam Nabi Azad, who recently parted ways with the Congress, on Monday launched his new party – the Democratic Azad party (DAP).

“I am launching Democratic Azad Party (DAP) from here today. It symbolises democracy and freedom of speech and thought. Our ideology will be based on the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi,” Azad said during a press conference here.

The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister had earlier said that the agenda of the new political outfit would be to struggle for the restoration of J and K’s statehood and to fight for the job and land rights of people.

Speaking at a public meeting at Dak Bunglow in Baramulla in north Kashmir, Azad had also said that his new party will be ‘Azad’ (free), like his name, in its ideology and thinking.

Azad said the DAP will have “no competition” with any other political party and it will focus on “strengthening” peace and normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir.

Over two dozen prominent Congress leaders, including former deputy chief minister Tara Chand, had resigned from the Congress in support of Azad.

Azad, 73, ended his five-decade-long association with the Congress on 26 August, terming the party “comprehensively destroyed”. He had lashed out at former Congress president Rahul Gandhi for “demolishing” the party’s entire consultative mechanism.