Former Congress chief and Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chief Ghulam Nabi Azad has mentioned it is true that he is not in the Congress party because of Rahul Gandhi including his (Rahul) leadership was not solely instrumental in the “complete demolition of the Congress” consultative mechanism but additionally gave rise to a brand new coterie of inexperienced sycophants to run the affairs of the party.
Ahead of the discharge of his guide ‘Azaad — an autobiography’, the previous Congress stalwart, who give up the party final yr, mentioned he believes that the Congress remains to be run by “remote control” and he additionally got here down closely on a “new coterie of inexperienced sycophants” who handle its affairs.
Azad mentioned he had nice respect for Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, however acknowledged there have been political variations with Rahul Gandhi.
“…as an individual, I am not saying Rahul Gandhi is a bad person. As an individual he is a good person. Maybe we have some political issues but those are the political issues that I had with him as long as I was in the Congress. Since I am no longer in the Congress party, I am nobody to tell him what is right for him and what is wrong for him,” the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chief mentioned.
“I can only wish him well both health wise and politically. It is for him to navigate. I only wish he is a good swimmer and he knows how to navigate the rough waters. Politics is an art of navigating in rough sea. Even the best captains, if they don’t have the experience… can doom the entire ship,” Azad advised PTI.
“Rahul Gandhi might not be holding any post as of now but everyone knows that he is the “captain of the ship (Congress)”, he said and added that “… everyone is aware of who is asking the photographs”.
“If tomorrow (Congress president Mallikarjun) Kharge ji wants a CWC (Congress Working Committee) meeting in Bengaluru, nobody will go… so I only wish him (Rahul Gandhi) to navigate the ship,” he mentioned.
“It is for him to find whether he is a good navigator or a bad navigator, I am out of the ship and I better navigate in the river,” Azad mentioned.
Azad in his have talked about about varied situations when he had sharp variations with Rahul Gandhi, particularly after G23’s letter to the then party president Sonia Gandhi.
“I guess it was beginning of the end as the leadership instead of taking this letter as a wake-up call, and strengthening the organisation and holding party elections on the lines we had suggested, both Rahul and Sonia ji took offence and viewed it as a challenge to their authority,” Azad mentioned, including that as an alternative of heeding to the solutions, the G-23 was snubbed as being pro-BJP.
“I still wonder, if we were pro-BJP, why would we suggest strengthening the organisation? Rather, we would simply let things continue as they were and make the dream of a ‘Congress-mukt Bharat (Congress-free India)’, which the current leadership (BJP) seems to have embarked upon, come true,” he mentioned, including that “writing a letter to strengthen the same (Congress) organisation cost me heavily”.
Congress reacts, slams Azad
Congress on Wednesday attacked Ghulam Nabi Azad for his feedback in opposition to party leadership in his upcoming autobiography and in media statements.
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera accused Azad of exchanging his loyalty in lieu of a “Lutyens’ Bungalow”, noting that it was the Congress which gave him all of the posts to emerge as a big chief.
“The politician, who was supported by the Congress party, given almost all the top posts of the party, is is speaking against that party… he broke the trust of the party and when he left the party last year, he said ‘I am free now’, but after listening to his comments, it feels that he is (still a) Ghulam,” he added.
(With inputs from companies)
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