Explained: Why Ghulam Nabi Azad’s resignation from the Congress comes as no surprise

The Congress continues to implode. Two days after national spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill quit the party, veteran leader Ghulam Nabi Azad too announced that he was stepping away from the party . In a five-page letter, which he addressed to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, he said the party had reached a point of “no return”. He was exceptionally harsh in his criticism of Rahul Gandhi, saying, “After the entry of Rahul Gandhi into politics and particularly after January 2013 when he was appointed as vice president by you, the entire consultative mechanism which existed earlier was demolished by him. All senior and experienced leaders were sidelined and new coterie of inexperienced sycophants started running the affairs of the party.” “One of the most glaring examples of this immaturity was the tearing up of a government ordinance in the full glare of the media by Rahul Gandhi…This ‘childish’ behaviour completely subverted the authority of the prime minister and Government of India. This one single action more than anything else contributed significantly to the defeat of the UPA Government in 2014 that was at the receiving end of a campaign of calumny and insinuation from a combination of the forces of the right wing and certain unscrupulous corporate interests.”

Ghulam Nabi Azad by Roshneesh K’Maneck on Scribd

Azad’s resignation from the Congress has been long time coming. A leading member of the G-23 or the group of 23 “dissenters”, the veteran leader — he joined the Congress in the 1970s — has had strained relations with his party in the recent times. In fact, early last week, he had declined the post of party’s campaign chief in Jammu and Kashmir. Here’s a look at the many instances that Ghulam Nabi Azad and the Congress have not seen eye-to-eye on matters, leading to disputes. G-23 grouping When Ghulam Nabi Azad became the face of the G-23, the dissenters group, it came as a complete surprise, as Azad has been considered as a die-hard Gandhi family loyalist. The grouping, which included Kapil Sibal, Shashi Tharoor, M Veerappa Moily, Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Prithviraj Chavan first wrote to interim party chief Sonia Gandhi in August 2020, seeking an organisational overhaul. Their voices became only louder as time passed by and in August 2021, they publicly claimed that the Congress party “is weakening” and that they have come together to strengthen it. Kapil Sibal, who has since left the party, was quoted as saying, “The truth is we can see that the Congress is weakening. We had gathered earlier also and together we have to strengthen the Congress.” The grouping kept reiterating that they wanted to invigorate the party and be a feasible opposition to the BJP. In March this year, after the Congress drew a blank in all five state elections, they met again at Azad’s residence. According to an Indian Express report, the leaders agreed that the party was staring at an “existential crisis” and it will sink further if credible corrective actions are not taken. It cannot be business as usual, some argued. Asked how they plan to take it forward, a leader said: “If we don’t take it forward, we sink. We are sitting in a boat in the turbulent ocean of Indian politics where water is gushing in from all directions. So, we can either submerge or some of us will try to take it back to the shore,” he said. India Today reported that the G23 members demanded a new Congress president “as soon as possible” and asked for speeding up the electoral process for the same. [caption id=“attachment_11120181” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Ghulam Nabi Azad was an integral part of the G-23 or the group of 23 “dissenters" in the Congress. PTI[/caption] Criticising the party leadership Besides being a part of the G-23 grouping, Azad has on numerous occasions criticised the party’s leadership. In November 2020, Azad blamed the Congress party’s poor showing at the polls on a ‘five-star culture’. “The problem with our leaders is that if they get a party ticket, they first book a five-star hotel. Even there they want a deluxe place. Then they will not move without an air-conditioned car. They will not go to places where there is an untarred road,” he told news agency ANI.

Polls aren't worn by 5-star culture. Problem with leaders today is if they get a party ticket, they first book a 5-star hotel. They won't go if there's a rough road. Till the time 5-star culture is given up, one can't win elections: Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad https://t.co/ZztM1gJMor pic.twitter.com/HggaZNu3dZ

— ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2020

“Elections are not fought from five-star hotels… We can’t win until we change this culture,” he added. In 2021, he once again slammed the party’s functioning and was quoted as telling NDTV, “When Rajiv ji joined politics, Indira Gandhi called both of us and told Rajiv ji that Ghulam Nabi can even say no to me, but that NO doesn’t mean disobeying or disrespect, that’s for the good of the party. Today, no one is ready to listen to that no. For saying no you become nobody today.” [caption id=“attachment_11120081” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Ghulam Nabi Azad has been considered a die-hard loyalist of the Gandhi family. But in recent times, he has not been able to see eye-to-eye with the leadership. PTI[/caption] Padma for Ghulam Nabi Azad? Most often awards are celebrated. However, when the Narendra Modi-led government decided to award Ghulam Nabi Azad with a Padma Bhushan in January it became a sticking point for the Congress. Congress colleague Jairam Ramesh threw shade at the veteran leader. Retweeting the news of Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee declining the Padma award, Ramesh tweeted, “Right thing to do. He wants to be Azad not Ghulam.”

Right thing to do. He wants to be Azad not Ghulam. https://t.co/iMWF00S9Ib

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) January 25, 2022

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While Azad kept mum on the matter, his fellow colleagues, Shashi Tharoor and Kapil Sibal, offered their best wishes. Sibal even slammed the party, claiming that it was ironic that the Congress does not need Azad’s services but the nation recognises his contributions to public life. Farewell speech raises eyebrows In February when Ghulam Nabi Azad finally bid adieu to the Rajya Sabha after serving for eight terms, his farewell in the Upper House created quite a political storm. In his 30-minute-long speech, he paid tribute to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and said that it was the former prime minister from whom he learnt to run the House. “I learned a lot from Atal ji…how to break the deadlock and how to run the House,” Ghulam Nabi Azad said in Rajya Sabha. He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech in Rajya Sabha. Azad said the PM never took his words against him in the Upper House personally and separated the personal from politics. “There were times when we had verbal fights. But you (PM Modi) never took my words personally,” Ghulam Nabi Azad said. The Congress veteran went on to note that the country is run with collaborations, not fights. Later, when The Print approached Congress leaders for comment on Azad’s retirement speech few were willing to comment. “You should ask Modi,” a senior Congress leader from Kashmir who did not wish to be named had said brusquely. Resigning from J-K post The last tiff between Azad and the Congress came as recently as last week when he refused to assume the post of chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Congress campaign committee. It was reported that he refused the top post, due to health reasons. However, Congress leader Ashwani Handa in Jammu claimed that Azad was unsatisfied with the newly appointed committee. “The newly constituted campaign committee has ignored the aspirations of the party’s grassroot workers in J&K. Injustice has been meted out to them. That’s why Ghulam Nabi Azad has resigned as he was unsatisfied with the committee,” he was quoted as saying by LiveMint. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.