An ailing Congress needed medicines from doctors but the party is being treated by compounder, Ghulam Nabi Azad in a fresh attack on his former party.
Interacting with reporters at his Delhi residence, Mr Azad said former party chief Rahul Gandhi does not have the aptitude or interest in politics and the top leadership was not interested in setting things right.
Hitting back, Congress communication chief Jairam Ramesh said Mr Azad has been ‘tasked’ to slander his former party.
“I can only give my best wishes to the Congress, but the Congress needs medicines more than my wishes. And, these medicines are being provided to the Congress by compounders instead of doctors and there is a need for specialists,” Mr Azad told reporters.
He targeted the party’s top leadership for promoting such leaders who force people to leave rather than unite them.
Also read | CWC endorses schedule; Congress to elect its president on October 17
“The party leadership has no time for setting things right in the party. The Congress is giving such leaders in states and promoting those who are making people quit the organisation rather than uniting them with the party,” Mr Azad noted.
Keeping up the attack on Mr Gandhi, he said, “It seems he does not have the aptitude for politics, as we tried to make him into a leader and made many efforts in this regard”.
He denied reports that he would be joining the BJP and reiterated that he will be floating his own party as Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) could be announced anytime.
“The BJP cannot help me in politics in Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP has a separate constituency. Those spreading such misinformation are playing into BJP’s hands and this is Congress propaganda against me,” he said.
Editorial | Family matters: On the Congress and the Gandhis
On post-poll alliance, he said there are other parties also and the new organisation can align with them too. Without naming anyone, he blamed Congress leaders who do “clerical work” and “plant stories against veterans”.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s emotional speech at his Rajya Sabha farewell was given a different twist by some “illiterate” Congressmen and their emotions expressed in the House were about the tragedy and not for each other.
“I assumed that Modi sahab was a crude man as he did not have children or his own family. and would not care but at least he has shown humanity,” he said while narrating the heart rending story of a grande explosion inside a bus with tourists from Gujarat.
Responding to Mr Azad, Mr Ramesh tweeted, ”After such a long career, courtesy entirely the party he’s been tasked to slander, by giving interviews indiscriminately, Mr Azad diminishes himself further. What’s he afraid of that he’s justifying his treachery every minute? He can be easily exposed but why stoop to his level”.
On Friday, Mr Azad had ended his five-decade association with the party after blaming Mr Gandhi for “demolishing” its entire consultative mechanism.