Azad exits: Ex-leaders categorical doubt over Congress’ future, petrified of extra resignations

By Online Desk

NEW DELHI: Ghulam Nabi Azad’s resignation from the Congress might set off a collection of exits because the “deep-rooted malaise” inside the celebration can’t be addressed by the current dispensation, former Congress chief and regulation minister Ashwini Kumar stated Friday.

He and different former Congress leaders stated new combos will quickly emerge and occupy the liberal house in Indian polity.

Kumar referred to as upon the Congress management to mirror inside and discover options somewhat than “calumnising” the dissenters.

“The resignation of Azad confirms yet again that under the present dispensation and in the current scheme of things, the deep-rooted malaise that afflicts the party cannot be addressed,” Kumar advised PTI quickly after Azad introduced ending his decades-long affiliation with the celebration.

“The new but expected development will trigger more exits, which will further weaken the Congress pushing it into political irrelevance.”

ALSO READ | Betrayal by Azad, say Mallikarjuna Kharge, D Okay Shivakumar

The former Union minister stated the resignation of Ghulam Nabi Azad alerts the tip of an period for what was as soon as the “grand old Party” of India.

“But life abhors a vacuum and so does politics. New combinations will emerge to occupy the secular and liberal space in the nation’s politics. It is sad to see the decimation of the party of freedom fighters which ought to have played a defining role in the present times.”

“The Congress needs to reflect inwards, acknowledge its deficiencies and flaws of its internal politics rather than calumniating the dissenters,” the veteran Congressman stated.

“Will it learn from its decline is the question?” he requested.

“Those who think that they can strengthen the Party by humiliating the veterans must know that no superstructure can last upon a weak foundation and that foundations of political parties are weakened when the tried and tested are diminished,” he stated.

Another former Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill, who stop not too long ago, stated Azad’s resignation is a tragic day for all well-meaning employees and leaders who give their blood and sweat to the Party.

“In reality, this cabal is working within Congress on ‘Congress Todo Abhiyan’, elbowing out all the well-meaning leaders,” he advised PTI “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.”

Shergill stated Azad’s letter is the “correct diagnosis” of the issues plaguing the Congress Party.

Priyanka Chaturvedi, who additionally stop and joined the Shiv Sena, stated he respects Azad’s seniority and the resignation shouldn’t be a shock.

However, the tone and tenor of the letter is shocking, she stated.

ALSO READ | Loyalist to insurgent: Ghulam Nabi Azad’s journey in Congress

“Over 4 a long time of being a part of Congress governments in addition to reaching the head of Chief Minister to unbroken senior organisational position this letter sounds shallow.

The assault on Rahul Gandhi in hindsight in addition to Sonia Gandhi not directly goes in opposition to the feelings of how hundreds of Congress employees have proven their religion of their management,” she stated.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who additionally stop the Congress just a few years in the past after being “ignored” by the management, stated Azad’s resignation had many similarities with the one he had written when he stop the celebration in 2015.

The drawback within the Congress is that everyone is aware of Rahul Gandhi is “immature, whimsical and unpredictable” however his mom continues to be attempting to advertise him, Sarma stated on the sidelines of a programme right here.

“Her mission will not be successful,” Sarma claimed.

“I had written in 2015 that a time will come when only the Gandhis will be left in the Congress and all others will leave. This is what is happening.”

Congress chief Sandeep Dikshit, who was a part of the G23 which had written to Sonia Gandhi in 2020 in search of an organisational overhaul, expressed dismay and a “sense of betrayal” over Azad’s resignation.

“When I read your letter of resignation, it gave me a sense of dismay and unfortunately, then a sense of betrayal,” he wrote to Azad.

“I wholeheartedly and in full agreement signed the letter that you had written to the Congress president, and became a part of what some media people called the G23.”

“But to my mind, we, and I in it, had raised the banner of reform, not a banner of revolt,” the previous Delhi MP stated.

Azad resigned Friday from the celebration forward of organisational elections.

Azad additionally accused the management of committing a “giant fraud” on the celebration within the identify of “farce and sham” inner polls, saying no such train has taken place at any stage and lists are being ready by the coterie that runs the AICC.

Sushmita Dev, who additionally stop the Congress final 12 months and joined the TMC, stated “It is sad to see a stalwart like GNA leave the INC. It calls for introspection, rather than take a myopic view and say that the party doesn’t need him or he had a vested interest.”

Meanwhile, former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Friday focused the Congress, saying the celebration underneath the present management is “doomed beyond redemption”.

Amarinder Singh had additionally stop the Congress final 12 months following his unceremonious exit because the chief minister and floated his personal outfit, Punjab Lok Congress.

ALSO READ | Exits of Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kapil Sibal depart G-23 change seekers in disarray

“When you cannot retain leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad who spent his entire life with the party, there is something terminally wrong with your functioning and the way you treat your senior and seasoned leaders,” Singh stated in an announcement.

Questioning the claims of some leaders that the celebration had given Azad a lot, Amarinder Singh stated it’s a reciprocal course of.

“The party is made by the blood and sweat and hard work of leaders,” he remarked, including, “It cannot be a one-man show.”

Congratulating Azad for taking the daring choice, he stated a conscientious and honest chief can not compromise on ideas and dignity.

“It is a particular set of people with a particular set of vested interests that has started the rot,” he stated, including that the senior leaders who withstood so many storms sometimes and stood by the celebration are being compelled to go away.

Amarinder Singh condemned the alleged malicious statements made by Congress leaders in opposition to Azad.

“Instead of levelling baseless charges against him, you should introspect as why this exodus is turning non-stop and terminal,” he stated.

Azad’s choice to resign from the celebration has been one in all “Congress todo (breaking the Congress)” as a substitute of “Congress jodo (uniting the Congress)”, senior celebration chief Digvijaya Singh stated on Friday.

Azad’s shock transfer got here a few days forward of a digital assembly of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the very best decision-making physique within the celebration, to approve the precise schedule of the organisational polls.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi will preside over the CWC assembly on Sunday.

Azad ended his five-decade-long affiliation with the Congress, saying the celebration has been “comprehensively destroyed” and lashing out at Rahul Gandhi for “demolishing” its whole consultative mechanism.

Singh, who heads the Congress committee organising the “Bharat Jodo Yatra” from Kanyakumari to Kashmir beginning September 7, slammed Azad for his remarks that earlier than beginning the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the celebration management ought to have undertaken a “Congress jodo” train throughout the nation.

“You may have relations with those who abrogated Article 370 (of the Constitution), you may have developed close ties with them. You have written that Congress jodo is needed and in the same letter, you are saying there is no need for Bharat jodo. Instead of Congress jodo, your step has been for Congress todo and I strongly condemn it,” Singh stated.

“You have taken this step when Sonia Gandhi, whose family gave you everything, has gone abroad for treatment. I did not expect this from you. The Congress has given you everything and in these critical times, you should stand with the party,” he added.

The former Madhya Pradesh chief minister stated he hoped all Congress employees will strongly condemn Azad’s choice and resolutely take part within the “Bharat Jodo Yatra”.

“The way divisions are being created, atrocities are being committed against minorities, Dalits and Adivasis — at that time, you are leaving the party. I am saddened. I did not expect this from you,” Singh stated.

Leader of Opposition within the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge stated, “Disappointed to see Sri Azad resign from the Congress. Leaving at this juncture will only strengthen the very fascist forces which is out to destroy the social fabric and Constitution of India. A better decision should have been taken keeping the interest of the nation in mind.”

ALSO READ | Key factors from Ghulam Nabi Azad’s letter of resignation from Congress

“When the country is facing difficult times, Congress leaders and workers need to stay united and strengthen the party despite any differences. Our actions should not weaken the Congress movement, which has always stood by the nation in turbulent times,” he stated.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir Rajani Patil additionally launched a scathing assault on Azad, saying “Soch se shayad ghulam hi rahe honge, tabhi aaj khud ko azad samajh rahe hain (perhaps he must have been a slave in his thinking, that is why he is considering himself free today).”

“Enjoyed power for years and left his own people for opportunism at a time of struggle, this thinking reflects the feeling of slavery and deceit,” she stated.

Congress’s Rajya Sabha MP Shaktisinh Gohil additionally lashed out at Azad, saying it was the celebration that made him a “hero from zero”.

“He received every little thing and when he was retiring from the Rajya Sabha, as a substitute of accepting that, he might have fallen within the entice of the crocodile tears shed by (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi.

Modi was being sarcastic in opposition to the celebration however Azad by no means refuted him (throughout his farewell in Parliament),” Gohil stated.

In a tweet, Congress common secretary Randeep Surjewala hit out at Azad, saying “1980 to 2021 — Continuous enjoyment of power under four generations of Gandhis (24 years Union Minister – J&K CM – 35 yrs GS), yet the same people and system is to be blamed in a vicious manner in the end. Tells a lot about character of the person and sense of gratitude for the Party.”

Meanwhile, hours after Azad stop the Congress, eight senior celebration leaders together with three former ministers resigned the celebration’s major membership, with sources indicating they might kind a brand new celebration quickly.

More leaders, perceived to be near Azad, are considering resigning, the sources stated.

Former ministers R S Chib, G M Saroori and Abdul Rashid; former MLAs Mohammad Amin Bhat, Gulzar Ahmad Wani and Choudhary Mohammad Akram; former MLC Naresh Gupta and celebration chief Salman Nizami have resigned in Azad’s help, sources stated.

“Over the years as a member of the Congress Party, it has been my sincere endeavour to work for the betterment of my State – Jammu & Kashmir. I feel that in the prevailing circumstances, the Congress Party has lost its momentum in contributing towards the future of my State.”

“Keeping in view the turmoil that the State of J&K has witnessed over the past decades, the people require a decisive leader like Azad to guide them towards a better future. I feel that the Congress Party has not been able to play the role that is expected of it,” Chib stated in his resignation letter addressed to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Saroori, a former vice chairman of J&Okay unit of Congress, together with a number of different leaders met Azad in Delhi earlier than submitting their resignation from the celebration, the sources stated.

“Azad is a popular leader who served Congress for the last 50 years. He is a known face across the country for his contribution towards the national building,” Saroori advised reporters after holding a gathering with Azad at his Delhi residence.

Earlier, Saroori uploaded a joint resignation letter on his social media account, saying Rashid, Bhat, Wani and Akram had been quitting the celebration.

“He cannot stay out of politics. His services are needed in J&K and we are sure that he will be the next chief minister of the state (UT). People of J&K also love their leaders and are ready to give any sacrifice for him,” Saroori stated, dropping sufficient hints that Azad is more likely to float his personal celebration.

Most of the Congress leaders, who’re seen to be loyal to Azad, have already reached New Delhi and are tenting there.

The sources indicated the veteran Congress chief is more likely to float a brand new celebration subsequent month because the union territory prepares for the primary Assembly elections for the reason that abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

The sources stated former deputy chief minister Tara Chand, former MP Jugal Kishore Sharma and Muneer Ahmad Mir from Kupwara are additionally mulling to resign from the Congress.

The leaders are additionally thought of shut confidants of Azad, the sources stated.

“We, the senior party leaders, are holding a meeting in the aftermath of the new developments. We will be meeting Azad sahib as well,” Chand stated.

Senior Congress chief and former Union minister Prithviraj Chavan on Friday stated the celebration should not have a “puppet president”, however one who has been duly elected.

Talking to reporters, Chavan stated the elected president ought to be assisted by leaders chosen by Congress employees within the forthcoming organizational polls within the functioning of the celebration.

ALSO READ | Azad’s resignation letter much like the one I wrote when leaving Congress: Himanta Sarma

The former Maharashtra chief minister lamented the celebration hadn’t held organizational polls for the final 24 years.

Asked about Congress chief Ghulam Nabi Azad resigning from the celebration, Chavan termed the veteran politician’s exit as unlucky.

He stated Azad was the celebration’s senior-most chief and a secular face.

Chavan, who’s a part of the ‘G23’ dissident group that had demanded inner reforms within the group in a letter to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in August 2020, stated the intention behind the confidential missive was to guard the celebration’s curiosity and strengthen it, however the signatories had been criticized and focused.

Azad, a former Union minister, was a outstanding member of the ‘G23’ bloc.

He stated the Congress would make a “historic blunder” if it would not give you a great various to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Chavan stated sustaining a established order within the celebration shouldn’t be good for the Congress, which is out of energy on the Centre since 2014.

“It was not right time (for Azad) to leave the party,” former J-Okay minister and senior Congress chief Yogesh Sawhney advised reporters quickly after a gathering held on the celebration headquarters in Jammu.

He stated Azad ought to rethink on his choice.

“Entire top party leadership is out of country. Azad sahib should think over his resignation,” Sawhney stated.

Asked whether or not it was a setback for the celebration, he stated Azad’s resignation has not been accepted but.

Replying to a different query whether or not Azad has revolted in opposition to the celebration management by overtly expressing his opposition to its selections, Sawhney stated, “He (Azad) is better to explain his point of view. I cannot speak for him.”

Congress chief Sandeep Dikshit on Friday expressed dismay and a “sense of betrayal” over Ghulam Nabi Azad’s resignation from the celebration, and stated quitting strengthens the insurance policies, methods and those who made them write the “letter of reform”.

Dikshit, a former celebration MP, was a part of the G23 leaders who had written to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in August 2020 for an organisational overhaul and reforms, saying it was a “banner of reform and not a banner of revolt”.

“When I read your letter of resignation, it gave me a sense of dismay and unfortunately, then a sense of betrayal,” he wrote to Azad.

His letter got here quickly after senior Congress chief Ghulam Nabi Azad resigned from all celebration positions, together with its major membership, forward of organisational elections and accused the management of committing “fraud” on the celebration within the identify of “sham” inner polls.

In his letter, Sandeep Dikshit, son of former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, advised Azad that he has identified him in his capability as a citizen of India, Congress sympathiser, Congress employee after which as Congress MP.

He stated he had nice respect for Azad’s work and talent.

“I wholeheartedly and in full settlement signed the letter that you just had written to the Congress president, and have become part of what some media individuals referred to as the G23.

“The matter we raised in that letter, and the spirit by which many people signed it and plenty of others supported what was written in it, was in some ways a pathway to revitalise this biggest of political events, that lies, as you say in your letter additionally, in its darkest abyss in the present day.

But to my thoughts, we, and I in it, had raised the banner of reform, not a banner of revolt,” the previous Delhi MP stated.

He stated that by becoming a member of the signatories to the letter, he knew fairly effectively that alongside together with his fixed public articulation of how he believed the Congress ought to strengthen itself, “I will never ever have a personal political future in it”.

The Delhi Congress chief stated it was his nice hope that each the burden of the solutions and the dedication in direction of the celebration of the signatories made this a worthwhile train.

Noting that the battle to “retain the true spirit and mind of our great nation” was the true objective of the battle for reviving the Congress, he stated, “Therefore it was equally important to remain inside the party, fight both policy and people, whichever and whoever we believe had and were damaging the party.”

“But leaving the celebration, sadly, strengthens the very insurance policies, methods and those who made us write our letter of reform as a requirement, as an obligation and as our proper.

The Indian National Congress shall be that a lot weaker with out Ghulam Nabi Azad, however the Ghulam Nabi Azad who authores the G23 letter, not the Ghulam Nabi Azad who authored this resignation,” Dikshit stated in his letter to Azad.

The Congress on Friday appointed leaders to coordinate the media actions of the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ within the states from the place it should move and stated “Azad or no Azad” the organisational equipment strikes forward with willpower.

Congress media division head Pawan Khera stated the celebration has authorised the names of the individuals who will coordinate the media actions of the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in states from the place the “historic” yatra shall be crossing.

Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra which is able to traverse from Kanyakumari to Kashmir will begin on September 7.

“Azad or no Azad, the Congress organisational machine moves ahead with determination. The first list of state-wise media & publicity in-charges and coordinators for Bharat Jodo Yatra,” Khera tweeted, referring to senior Congress chief Ghulam Nabi Azad’s choice to resign from the celebration on Friday.

“Bharat Jodo Yatra is not an event but a movement to bring together the people, from all walks of life, against the several evils that are plaguing the country today,” Khera stated in his assertion sharing the listing of individuals appointed as coordinators for the Yatra.

ALSO READ | Azad’s resignation from celebration unlucky: Congress chief Bhupinder Hooda

“The party and the leadership have high hopes and immense faith in you to promulgate the spirit of the Yatra amongst the people of India,” he stated to the individuals chosen to helm the yatra’s publicity.

According to the listing, Shama Mohamed was named answerable for Tamil Nadu and Dolly Sharma for Andhra Pradesh.

Lavanya Balal can be in-charge for Kerala, Szarita Laitphlang for Karnataka, S V Ramani for Telangana, Alka Lamba for Jammu and Kashmir, Shobha Oza for Maharashtra, Vibhakar Shastri for Rajasthan, Anshul Avijeet for Punjab, and Ragini Nayak for Madhya Pradesh.

Coordinators had been additionally appointed for media actions in states from the place the Yatra will move.

(With PTI Inputs)

NEW DELHI: Ghulam Nabi Azad’s resignation from the Congress might set off a collection of exits because the “deep-rooted malaise” inside the celebration can’t be addressed by the current dispensation, former Congress chief and regulation minister Ashwini Kumar stated Friday.

He and different former Congress leaders stated new combos will quickly emerge and occupy the liberal house in Indian polity.

Kumar referred to as upon the Congress management to mirror inside and discover options somewhat than “calumnising” the dissenters.

“The resignation of Azad confirms yet again that under the present dispensation and in the current scheme of things, the deep-rooted malaise that afflicts the party cannot be addressed,” Kumar advised PTI quickly after Azad introduced ending his decades-long affiliation with the celebration.

“The new but expected development will trigger more exits, which will further weaken the Congress pushing it into political irrelevance.”

ALSO READ | Betrayal by Azad, say Mallikarjuna Kharge, D Okay Shivakumar

The former Union minister stated the resignation of Ghulam Nabi Azad alerts the tip of an period for what was as soon as the “grand old Party” of India.

“But life abhors a vacuum and so does politics. New combinations will emerge to occupy the secular and liberal space in the nation’s politics. It is sad to see the decimation of the party of freedom fighters which ought to have played a defining role in the present times.”

“The Congress needs to reflect inwards, acknowledge its deficiencies and flaws of its internal politics rather than calumniating the dissenters,” the veteran Congressman stated.

“Will it learn from its decline is the question?” he requested.

“Those who think that they can strengthen the Party by humiliating the veterans must know that no superstructure can last upon a weak foundation and that foundations of political parties are weakened when the tried and tested are diminished,” he stated.

Another former Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill, who stop not too long ago, stated Azad’s resignation is a tragic day for all well-meaning employees and leaders who give their blood and sweat to the Party.

“In reality, this cabal is working within Congress on ‘Congress Todo Abhiyan’, elbowing out all the well-meaning leaders,” he advised PTI “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.”

Shergill stated Azad’s letter is the “correct diagnosis” of the issues plaguing the Congress Party.

Priyanka Chaturvedi, who additionally stop and joined the Shiv Sena, stated he respects Azad’s seniority and the resignation shouldn’t be a shock.

However, the tone and tenor of the letter is shocking, she stated.

ALSO READ | Loyalist to insurgent: Ghulam Nabi Azad’s journey in Congress

“Over 4 a long time of being a part of Congress governments in addition to reaching the head of Chief Minister to unbroken senior organisational position this letter sounds shallow.

The assault on Rahul Gandhi in hindsight in addition to Sonia Gandhi not directly goes in opposition to the feelings of how hundreds of Congress employees have proven their religion of their management,” she stated.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who additionally stop the Congress just a few years in the past after being “ignored” by the management, stated Azad’s resignation had many similarities with the one he had written when he stop the celebration in 2015.

The drawback within the Congress is that everyone is aware of Rahul Gandhi is “immature, whimsical and unpredictable” however his mom continues to be attempting to advertise him, Sarma stated on the sidelines of a programme right here.

“Her mission will not be successful,” Sarma claimed.

“I had written in 2015 that a time will come when only the Gandhis will be left in the Congress and all others will leave. This is what is happening.”

Congress chief Sandeep Dikshit, who was a part of the G23 which had written to Sonia Gandhi in 2020 in search of an organisational overhaul, expressed dismay and a “sense of betrayal” over Azad’s resignation.

“When I read your letter of resignation, it gave me a sense of dismay and unfortunately, then a sense of betrayal,” he wrote to Azad.

“I wholeheartedly and in full agreement signed the letter that you had written to the Congress president, and became a part of what some media people called the G23.”

“But to my mind, we, and I in it, had raised the banner of reform, not a banner of revolt,” the previous Delhi MP stated.

Azad resigned Friday from the celebration forward of organisational elections.

Azad additionally accused the management of committing a “giant fraud” on the celebration within the identify of “farce and sham” inner polls, saying no such train has taken place at any stage and lists are being ready by the coterie that runs the AICC.

Sushmita Dev, who additionally stop the Congress final 12 months and joined the TMC, stated “It is sad to see a stalwart like GNA leave the INC. It calls for introspection, rather than take a myopic view and say that the party doesn’t need him or he had a vested interest.”

Meanwhile, former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Friday focused the Congress, saying the celebration underneath the present management is “doomed beyond redemption”.

Amarinder Singh had additionally stop the Congress final 12 months following his unceremonious exit because the chief minister and floated his personal outfit, Punjab Lok Congress.

ALSO READ | Exits of Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kapil Sibal depart G-23 change seekers in disarray

“When you cannot retain leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad who spent his entire life with the party, there is something terminally wrong with your functioning and the way you treat your senior and seasoned leaders,” Singh stated in an announcement.

Questioning the claims of some leaders that the celebration had given Azad a lot, Amarinder Singh stated it’s a reciprocal course of.

“The party is made by the blood and sweat and hard work of leaders,” he remarked, including, “It cannot be a one-man show.”

Congratulating Azad for taking the daring choice, he stated a conscientious and honest chief can not compromise on ideas and dignity.

“It is a particular set of people with a particular set of vested interests that has started the rot,” he stated, including that the senior leaders who withstood so many storms sometimes and stood by the celebration are being compelled to go away.

Amarinder Singh condemned the alleged malicious statements made by Congress leaders in opposition to Azad.

“Instead of levelling baseless charges against him, you should introspect as why this exodus is turning non-stop and terminal,” he stated.

Azad’s choice to resign from the celebration has been one in all “Congress todo (breaking the Congress)” as a substitute of “Congress jodo (uniting the Congress)”, senior celebration chief Digvijaya Singh stated on Friday.

Azad’s shock transfer got here a few days forward of a digital assembly of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the very best decision-making physique within the celebration, to approve the precise schedule of the organisational polls.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi will preside over the CWC assembly on Sunday.

Azad ended his five-decade-long affiliation with the Congress, saying the celebration has been “comprehensively destroyed” and lashing out at Rahul Gandhi for “demolishing” its whole consultative mechanism.

Singh, who heads the Congress committee organising the “Bharat Jodo Yatra” from Kanyakumari to Kashmir beginning September 7, slammed Azad for his remarks that earlier than beginning the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the celebration management ought to have undertaken a “Congress jodo” train throughout the nation.

“You may have relations with those who abrogated Article 370 (of the Constitution), you may have developed close ties with them. You have written that Congress jodo is needed and in the same letter, you are saying there is no need for Bharat jodo. Instead of Congress jodo, your step has been for Congress todo and I strongly condemn it,” Singh stated.

“You have taken this step when Sonia Gandhi, whose family gave you everything, has gone abroad for treatment. I did not expect this from you. The Congress has given you everything and in these critical times, you should stand with the party,” he added.

The former Madhya Pradesh chief minister stated he hoped all Congress employees will strongly condemn Azad’s choice and resolutely take part within the “Bharat Jodo Yatra”.

“The way divisions are being created, atrocities are being committed against minorities, Dalits and Adivasis — at that time, you are leaving the party. I am saddened. I did not expect this from you,” Singh stated.

Leader of Opposition within the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge stated, “Disappointed to see Sri Azad resign from the Congress. Leaving at this juncture will only strengthen the very fascist forces which is out to destroy the social fabric and Constitution of India. A better decision should have been taken keeping the interest of the nation in mind.”

ALSO READ | Key factors from Ghulam Nabi Azad’s letter of resignation from Congress

“When the country is facing difficult times, Congress leaders and workers need to stay united and strengthen the party despite any differences. Our actions should not weaken the Congress movement, which has always stood by the nation in turbulent times,” he stated.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir Rajani Patil additionally launched a scathing assault on Azad, saying “Soch se shayad ghulam hi rahe honge, tabhi aaj khud ko azad samajh rahe hain (perhaps he must have been a slave in his thinking, that is why he is considering himself free today).”

“Enjoyed power for years and left his own people for opportunism at a time of struggle, this thinking reflects the feeling of slavery and deceit,” she stated.

Congress’s Rajya Sabha MP Shaktisinh Gohil additionally lashed out at Azad, saying it was the celebration that made him a “hero from zero”.

“He received every little thing and when he was retiring from the Rajya Sabha, as a substitute of accepting that, he might have fallen within the entice of the crocodile tears shed by (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi.

Modi was being sarcastic in opposition to the celebration however Azad by no means refuted him (throughout his farewell in Parliament),” Gohil stated.

In a tweet, Congress common secretary Randeep Surjewala hit out at Azad, saying “1980 to 2021 — Continuous enjoyment of power under four generations of Gandhis (24 years Union Minister – J&K CM – 35 yrs GS), yet the same people and system is to be blamed in a vicious manner in the end. Tells a lot about character of the person and sense of gratitude for the Party.”

Meanwhile, hours after Azad stop the Congress, eight senior celebration leaders together with three former ministers resigned the celebration’s major membership, with sources indicating they might kind a brand new celebration quickly.

More leaders, perceived to be near Azad, are considering resigning, the sources stated.

Former ministers R S Chib, G M Saroori and Abdul Rashid; former MLAs Mohammad Amin Bhat, Gulzar Ahmad Wani and Choudhary Mohammad Akram; former MLC Naresh Gupta and celebration chief Salman Nizami have resigned in Azad’s help, sources stated.

“Over the years as a member of the Congress Party, it has been my sincere endeavour to work for the betterment of my State – Jammu & Kashmir. I feel that in the prevailing circumstances, the Congress Party has lost its momentum in contributing towards the future of my State.”

“Keeping in view the turmoil that the State of J&K has witnessed over the past decades, the people require a decisive leader like Azad to guide them towards a better future. I feel that the Congress Party has not been able to play the role that is expected of it,” Chib stated in his resignation letter addressed to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Saroori, a former vice chairman of J&Okay unit of Congress, together with a number of different leaders met Azad in Delhi earlier than submitting their resignation from the celebration, the sources stated.

“Azad is a popular leader who served Congress for the last 50 years. He is a known face across the country for his contribution towards the national building,” Saroori advised reporters after holding a gathering with Azad at his Delhi residence.

Earlier, Saroori uploaded a joint resignation letter on his social media account, saying Rashid, Bhat, Wani and Akram had been quitting the celebration.

“He cannot stay out of politics. His services are needed in J&K and we are sure that he will be the next chief minister of the state (UT). People of J&K also love their leaders and are ready to give any sacrifice for him,” Saroori stated, dropping sufficient hints that Azad is more likely to float his personal celebration.

Most of the Congress leaders, who’re seen to be loyal to Azad, have already reached New Delhi and are tenting there.

The sources indicated the veteran Congress chief is more likely to float a brand new celebration subsequent month because the union territory prepares for the primary Assembly elections for the reason that abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

The sources stated former deputy chief minister Tara Chand, former MP Jugal Kishore Sharma and Muneer Ahmad Mir from Kupwara are additionally mulling to resign from the Congress.

The leaders are additionally thought of shut confidants of Azad, the sources stated.

“We, the senior party leaders, are holding a meeting in the aftermath of the new developments. We will be meeting Azad sahib as well,” Chand stated.

Senior Congress chief and former Union minister Prithviraj Chavan on Friday stated the celebration should not have a “puppet president”, however one who has been duly elected.

Talking to reporters, Chavan stated the elected president ought to be assisted by leaders chosen by Congress employees within the forthcoming organizational polls within the functioning of the celebration.

ALSO READ | Azad’s resignation letter much like the one I wrote when leaving Congress: Himanta Sarma

The former Maharashtra chief minister lamented the celebration hadn’t held organizational polls for the final 24 years.

Asked about Congress chief Ghulam Nabi Azad resigning from the celebration, Chavan termed the veteran politician’s exit as unlucky.

He stated Azad was the celebration’s senior-most chief and a secular face.

Chavan, who’s a part of the ‘G23’ dissident group that had demanded inner reforms within the group in a letter to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in August 2020, stated the intention behind the confidential missive was to guard the celebration’s curiosity and strengthen it, however the signatories had been criticized and focused.

Azad, a former Union minister, was a outstanding member of the ‘G23’ bloc.

He stated the Congress would make a “historic blunder” if it would not give you a great various to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Chavan stated sustaining a established order within the celebration shouldn’t be good for the Congress, which is out of energy on the Centre since 2014.

“It was not right time (for Azad) to leave the party,” former J-Okay minister and senior Congress chief Yogesh Sawhney advised reporters quickly after a gathering held on the celebration headquarters in Jammu.

He stated Azad ought to rethink on his choice.

“Entire top party leadership is out of country. Azad sahib should think over his resignation,” Sawhney stated.

Asked whether or not it was a setback for the celebration, he stated Azad’s resignation has not been accepted but.

Replying to a different query whether or not Azad has revolted in opposition to the celebration management by overtly expressing his opposition to its selections, Sawhney stated, “He (Azad) is better to explain his point of view. I cannot speak for him.”

Congress chief Sandeep Dikshit on Friday expressed dismay and a “sense of betrayal” over Ghulam Nabi Azad’s resignation from the celebration, and stated quitting strengthens the insurance policies, methods and those who made them write the “letter of reform”.

Dikshit, a former celebration MP, was a part of the G23 leaders who had written to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in August 2020 for an organisational overhaul and reforms, saying it was a “banner of reform and not a banner of revolt”.

“When I read your letter of resignation, it gave me a sense of dismay and unfortunately, then a sense of betrayal,” he wrote to Azad.

His letter got here quickly after senior Congress chief Ghulam Nabi Azad resigned from all celebration positions, together with its major membership, forward of organisational elections and accused the management of committing “fraud” on the celebration within the identify of “sham” inner polls.

In his letter, Sandeep Dikshit, son of former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, advised Azad that he has identified him in his capability as a citizen of India, Congress sympathiser, Congress employee after which as Congress MP.

He stated he had nice respect for Azad’s work and talent.

“I wholeheartedly and in full settlement signed the letter that you just had written to the Congress president, and have become part of what some media individuals referred to as the G23.

“The matter we raised in that letter, and the spirit by which many people signed it and plenty of others supported what was written in it, was in some ways a pathway to revitalise this biggest of political events, that lies, as you say in your letter additionally, in its darkest abyss in the present day.

But to my thoughts, we, and I in it, had raised the banner of reform, not a banner of revolt,” the previous Delhi MP stated.

He stated that by becoming a member of the signatories to the letter, he knew fairly effectively that alongside together with his fixed public articulation of how he believed the Congress ought to strengthen itself, “I will never ever have a personal political future in it”.

The Delhi Congress chief stated it was his nice hope that each the burden of the solutions and the dedication in direction of the celebration of the signatories made this a worthwhile train.

Noting that the battle to “retain the true spirit and mind of our great nation” was the true objective of the battle for reviving the Congress, he stated, “Therefore it was equally important to remain inside the party, fight both policy and people, whichever and whoever we believe had and were damaging the party.”

“But leaving the celebration, sadly, strengthens the very insurance policies, methods and those who made us write our letter of reform as a requirement, as an obligation and as our proper.

The Indian National Congress shall be that a lot weaker with out Ghulam Nabi Azad, however the Ghulam Nabi Azad who authores the G23 letter, not the Ghulam Nabi Azad who authored this resignation,” Dikshit stated in his letter to Azad.

The Congress on Friday appointed leaders to coordinate the media actions of the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ within the states from the place it should move and stated “Azad or no Azad” the organisational equipment strikes forward with willpower.

Congress media division head Pawan Khera stated the celebration has authorised the names of the individuals who will coordinate the media actions of the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in states from the place the “historic” yatra shall be crossing.

Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra which is able to traverse from Kanyakumari to Kashmir will begin on September 7.

“Azad or no Azad, the Congress organisational machine moves ahead with determination. The first list of state-wise media & publicity in-charges and coordinators for Bharat Jodo Yatra,” Khera tweeted, referring to senior Congress chief Ghulam Nabi Azad’s choice to resign from the celebration on Friday.

“Bharat Jodo Yatra is not an event but a movement to bring together the people, from all walks of life, against the several evils that are plaguing the country today,” Khera stated in his assertion sharing the listing of individuals appointed as coordinators for the Yatra.

ALSO READ | Azad’s resignation from celebration unlucky: Congress chief Bhupinder Hooda

“The party and the leadership have high hopes and immense faith in you to promulgate the spirit of the Yatra amongst the people of India,” he stated to the individuals chosen to helm the yatra’s publicity.

According to the listing, Shama Mohamed was named answerable for Tamil Nadu and Dolly Sharma for Andhra Pradesh.

Lavanya Balal can be in-charge for Kerala, Szarita Laitphlang for Karnataka, S V Ramani for Telangana, Alka Lamba for Jammu and Kashmir, Shobha Oza for Maharashtra, Vibhakar Shastri for Rajasthan, Anshul Avijeet for Punjab, and Ragini Nayak for Madhya Pradesh.

Coordinators had been additionally appointed for media actions in states from the place the Yatra will move.

(With PTI Inputs)