Rahul Gandhi is good for 'photo ops, dharnas and public rallies, said veteran politician and former Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who quit the Congress last week.
In an interview with India Today, Azad lashed out at Gandhi for demolishing the party to a point from where there seemed to be no return.
Alleging that Gandhi hardly ever put effort into the well-being of the party, Azad said that he was highly disapproving of Rahul Gandhi's 'Chowkidar Chor Hai' slogan against PM Modi during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Days after resigning from the Congress party, said that the party needs medicines for treating its illness but it was being treated by compounders and not doctors.
In his attack on the Congress party, Azad further said that the party leadership is not interested in setting the organisation right. He also targeted Rahul Gandhi, who he had blasted in his resignation letter as childish and immature, and said that he neither has the aptitude nor interest in politics.
Azad also said that he would not join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and added that those claiming his ties with the BJP are playing into the saffron party's hands. He said joining BJP would not help his politics in J&K and that he would soon set up a new party there as assembly elections could be announced anytime. A close aide of Azad earlier said that the party would be set up within a fortnight in J&K.
Azad's exit triggered a series of resignations within the Congress party in Jammu and Kashmir. Azad was the only known face of the Congress party in J&K. With Azad gone, the party will face a serious challenge as there is no leader in Congress of his stature in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
His resignation has set off speculations all across the quiet political atmosphere of Jammu and Kashmir. The political parties, who were trying to assemble to fight against the inclusion of what they allege “25 lakh outsiders” as voters of Jammu and Kashmir, are all busy watching what would be Azad’s next move.
