NEW DELHI: Veteran former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad continues to mount a brutal offensive against the party even after quitting it on August 26. His attacks may damage the Congress as they come at a time when the principal opposition party is trying to counter the BJP and is struggling to put its house in order both in terms of structure and elections.
Last week, Azad resigned by writing a five-page letter to Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi and in which he accused her son Rahul Gandhi of being "childish" and a "non-serious politician".
Then while talking to mediapersons on August 29, he said the Congress's foundation had turned very weak and the party could fall any time. Rahul Gandhi does not have the aptitude for politics, he added.
Coming from Jammu and Kashmir, Azad was the Congress’s Muslim face and one of the few remaining leaders of the party’s old guard. His association with the party was five-decade long during which he held several significant constitutional posts ranging from Jammu and Kashmir chief minister to Union minister and leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha.
Later, Azad became a prominent member of G-23 – a group of 23 dissenting Congress leaders who had written a letter to Sonia Gandhi in 2020 demanding internal reforms in the party.
His exit from the Congress and his outbursts have the potential to damage the party. Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah of the National Conference party spoke about the damage to the Congress party.
Omar said in a tweet: “Long rumoured to be in the offing but a body blow to the Congress none the less. Perhaps the senior most leader to quit the party in recent times, his resignation letter makes for very painful reading. It’s sad, and quite scary, to see the grand old party of India implode.”
These are the five ways in which Azad’s resignation is likely to harm the Congress.
1. Congress’s programmes
The Congress has planned to hold several programmes from August 29 to September 7. Both Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh and general secretary in-charge of Rajasthan Ajay Maken regretted that Azad resigned at a time when the party was gearing up to hold two press conferences, a rally and a padyatra on inflation, joblessness and polarising politics during this period.
Azad has already adversely affected at least two programmes so far. Maken and Ramesh were scheduled to hold a press conference on the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government’s liquor policy on August 26. However, the two leaders addressed the press conference for just over seven minutes and it was to express regret over Azad’s resignation which had come a few minutes earlier.
Trying to put on a brave face, Maken and Ramesh deferred the press conference on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s excise policy by a day.
In his brief address, Ramesh said, “It is most unfortunate and most regrettable that this has happened when the Congress president Smt Sonia Gandhi ji, Sri Rahul Gandhi ji and the entire Congress party organisation across the country are engaged in confronting, combating and fighting the BJP on issues of mehangai (price rise), berozgari (unemployment) and polarisation. The entire Congress party organisation in the last couple of weeks has been involved in preparing for the 'Mehangai par halla bol' rally at Ramlila Maidan on September 4 which should be addressed by Rahul Gandhi ji.”
He said 22 press conferences were scheduled across the country on August 29. “The 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' launch will take place on the 7th of September from Kanyakumari. Finalisation of that launch is also underway. And 32 press conferences have been scheduled across the country to project the message of the Bharat Jodo Yatra.”
Ramesh further said, “So, at a time when every Congressman and every Congress woman is involved in ensuring that the 'Mehangai par halla bol' rally will be a success, wants to be a Bharat yatri and wants to walk along with Rahul Gandhi ji on this 3,500 long Bharat Jodo Yatra, it is most unfortunate and most regrettable that at this point of time we have had to read this letter which has been released to the press. That is all we want to say for the moment. Tomorrow Ajay Maken ji will address today's press conference on the liquor policy of the Delhi government.”
In fact, the 22 press conferences on August 29 also got overshadowed with Azad’s comments on the Congress and Rahul Gandhi. His resignation may impact the further programmes of the party.
2. Jammu and Kashmir politics
Jammu and Kashmir was downgraded from a state to a Union Territory (UT) and Articles 370 and 35A of the Constitution which bestowed special powers on the erstwhile state were nullified in 2019. Subsequently, delimitation of the constituencies took place. Union home minister Amit Shah has said on a number of occasions that assembly election would be held and statehood would be restored in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the 2011 Census, Muslims constitute 68.31 per cent while Hindus are 28.44 per cent of the population. The National Conference (NC) led by Farooq Abdullah. Mehbooba Mufti-led Peoples Democratic Front (PDP) and the Congress have been sharing power all these years in Jammu and Kashmir.
However, the BJP came to power for the first time after the 2014 assembly election when it emerged as the second largest party winning 25 of the total 87 seats. PDP was the single largest party with 28 seats. NC won 15 while the Congress was victorious on 12 seats. Ladakh was a part of the erstwhile state at that point in time.
In a post-poll alliance due to a hung assembly, the BJP formed a government, albeit as a junior partner, along with the PDP. However, that experiment failed and the erstwhile state is under President’s Rule.
NC, PDP and the Congress have been dividing the Muslim votes among themselves. The BJP relies mostly on the Hindu votes.
Except for Azad, most of the other leaders who quit the Congress since 2019 joined some other political party such as Jitin Prasada and RPN Singh who joined the BJP or Sushmita Deb who joined West Bengal chief minister-led Trinamool Congress (TMC). Azad is perhaps the only former leader to announce forming a new political party.
His party is likely to damage the Congress upto a large extent. Several Congress leaders have already resigned in favour of Azad. This would harm the Congress and help the BJP as there would be four players instead of three earlier who would woo the Muslim votes.
3. Congress’s secular outreach
Azad was a prominent Muslim face of the Congress for several years. Be it banning instant triple talaq, nullification of Article 370 or downgrading of Jammu and Kashmir, he was one of the most prominent voices of the Congress inside Parliament and outside it.
The Congress is trying hard to woo back the Muslims who have drifted towards the regional parties such as Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party, Lalu Prasad-headed Rashtriya Janata Dal and AAP.
Azad’s resignation will only make it more difficult for the Congress to win back Muslims.
4. Image of Nehru-Gandhis
Azad has caused maximum damage to the Nehru-Gandhis, particularly Rahul Gandhi, to an extent which has not been done by any other leader while resigning from the party in the recent past.
He tore into Rahul Gandhi by not just calling him “childish” and a “non-serious politician” but also "immature". He accused the Nehru-Gandhi scion of "demolishing the consultative mechanism" of the Congress.
In his five-page letter, Azad alleged that a coterie ran the Congress while Sonia Gandhi was just a nominal head. He accused Rahul Gandhi – or rather worse, his security guards and personal assistants – of taking all the major decisions.
On Sonia Gandhi, he said she was behaving like a typical mother who favours her children.
These sentences would only give a handle to the Congress’s rivals to beat the party and mock Nehru-Gandhis.
5. Congress presidential election
The Congress has announced the schedule for the election of its president. The election would be held on October 17.
While quitting the party and also after it, he has alleged that the process to elect the Congress president is a farce. He said no electoral rolls have been prepared and that either the Nehru-Gandhis or someone picked up by them would become the president.
Azad has sought to erode the credibility of the election process even before it has been held. In the process, he has exerted the party to come clean and prove him wrong.
