Ghulam Nabi Azad quits Congress party

The Congress on Friday called Azad’s resignation from the party “most unfortunate and regrettable”, especially when the organisation is combating Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on issues like price rise and unemployment.

In a letter to party president Sonia Gandhi, Azad said he has resigned with a “heavy heart”.

The 73-year-old leader said, in his letter, that the party has lost both the will and the ability under tutelage of the coterie that runs the All India Congress Committee (AICC) to fight for what is right for India.

Before starting a ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, the leadership should have undertaken a ‘Congress Jodo Yatra’, he said.

The veteran leader further mentioned that the 23 leaders who wrote to point out weaknesses in the party were abused, insulted, humiliated and vilified in the party.

The Congress has announced the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ to be led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The yatra, starting from Kanyakumari, is supposed to cover more than 3,500 km traversing through 12 states. 

Soon after Azad’s resignation, reactions started pouring in from different political leaders.

National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah said that Azad must not be getting respect. “Love showered upon him earlier. Congress was taken aback when 23 leaders wrote a letter. But it has happened before, Congress came back stronger. The country needs a strong opposition,” news agency ANI quoted him as saying.

BJP leader Kuldeep Bishnoi said that the Congress is in “self-destruction and suicidal” mode, and suggested that Rahul Gandhi should set aside his ego. He further welcomed Azad to BJP. “Ghulam Nabi Azad is welcome in BJP. If the party asks me, then I can persuade him to join the party,” Bishnoi said.

Another BJP leader Sunil Jakhar called it the "beginning of the end". Talking to a mediaperson, he said, "It's the beginning of the end, what Mr Azad's resignation signifies is that Congress had it coming. They perpetuated this situation. It was writing on the wall which they chose to ignore-whether it was Jyotiraditya Scindia, RPN Singh, Jitin Prasada & now Azad sa'ab."

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that everyone in Congress knows that Rahul Gandhi is immature. "If you read GN Azad's letter and the letter I wrote in 2015, you'll find a lot of similarities. In Congress, everyone knows Rahul Gandhi is immature. Sonia Gandhi is not taking care of the party, she's only trying to promote her son," he told reporters. "As a result, people loyal to parties are deserting it. I had predicted that a time for Congress will come when only Gandhis will remain in the party and it is happening. Rahul Gandhi is actually a blessing for BJP," he added.

Former Congress leader Ashwini Kumar called it a "sad day for the Congress party and for the democracy of the country." He further said, "Despite it, the party refuses to change and that is why you see senior leaders leave because they feel alienated, humiliated and insulted."

Another former party leader Jaiveer Shergill said, "Now a senior leader is speaking about it becoming a club of PAs and security guards shows that leaders across age groups are frustrated and disappointed by this entire coterie culture that is thriving in Congress.

Notably, Azad, in his letter, claimed that a coterie runs the party while she was just a nominal head and all the major decisions were taken by "Shri Rahul Gandhi or rather worse his security guards and PAs".

Addressing a press conference after Azad’s announcement, Congress leaders Ajay Maken and Jairam Ramesh held a press conference in New Delhi.

Talking to reporters, Maken said that Azad was the party’s senior leader and called it “saddening” that he quit when the party fighting against inflation and polarization.

Congress general secretary Ramesh said that the content of Azad’s letter was “not factual” and called its timing “awful”.

Later, taking to Twitter, Ramesh attacked Azad and said that his DNA has been "modi-fied".

"A man who has been treated by the greatest respect by the Congress leadership has betrayed it by his vicious personal attacks which reveals his true character. GNA's DNA has been modi-fied," he tweeted.