Azad, not the only leader who criticised Congress leadership for party downfall. A look at the exits
From Captain Amarinder Singh to Jyotiraditya Scindia to Kapil Sibal, all the Congress veterans had squarely criticised the leadership for perpetrating 'giant fraud' on the party
Ghulam Nabi Azad quitting the party has once again put the spotlight on the role of the Congress leadership. The resignation of the veteran leader is just not another worker calling it a quits but a big blow to the grand old party. What makes the matter worse is that, like many others, Azad has also criticised the Gandhis for not being able to keep the party intact.
Ghulam Nabi Azad
The veteran leader from Jammu and Kashmir on Friday (August 26) snapped all his 45-year-old association with the grand old party. In a five-page no holds barred letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi that comes ahead of crucial organisational elections in the party, Azad said he does so with a "heavy heart". The Congress, he said, has lost both the will and the ability under tutelage of the coterie that runs the AICC to fight for what is right for India, Azad, who is part of the G-23 group seeking change in party, said. Before starting a 'Bharat jodo yatra', the leadership should have undertaken a 'Congress jodo yatra', the veteran leader said in his letter. Holding the leadership squarely responsible for perpetrating "giant fraud" on the party, Azad said handpicked lieutenants of the AICC were coerced to sign on lists prepared by coterie that runs the organisation.
Captain Amarinder Singh
Punjab senior leader Captain Amarinder Singh had also resigned from the Congress in 2021 and had accused party president Sonia Gandhi and Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra of hatching a "midnight conspiracy" to oust him. Singh, in his seven-page letter to Sonia Gandhi, made public on Twitter, had lashed out at Navjot Singh Sidhu, the new Punjab Congress president whom he described as an "acolyte of the Pakistani deep state", and "dubious individual" Harish Rawat, the former All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for the state.
Kapil Sibal
Congress veteran Kapil Sibal had announced his exit from the party in June this year and filed his nomination as a Samajwadi Party-backed Independent candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls from Uttar Pradesh. The 73-year-old lawyer-politician said he bears it no ill-will and is not far from the party and its ideology. Sibal had previously called for a non-Gandhi as the new party chief.
Sunil Jakhar
The 68-year-old disgruntled Congress leader had announced his resignation during a Facebook live. Stating that Congress governments had always faced allegations of kitchen cabinet and coteries, Jakhar alleged that in his 20 years of active politics “coteries have now turned into gangs”. Offering advice to former president Rahul Gandhi, Jakhar said he should learn to make the distinction between friend and foe. He also asked him to take reins of the party in his hands and stay away from 'chaploos' (sycophants).
Jyotiraditya Scindia
Calling the move 'which has been drawing itself out over the last year', Jyotiraditya Scindia resigned from Congress in March 2020. In his resignation letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Scindia wrote, “While my aim and purpose remain the same as it has always been from the very beginning, to serve the people of my state and country, I believe I am unable to do this anymore within this party.” He had also accused Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi for not giving him time for a meet.
Jitin Prasada
Jitin Prasada quit Congress in June this year and joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). With Prasada's exit, Congress, at that time, had lost another high-profile young leader. Sources said Prasada was unhappy with the party's affairs in Uttar Pradesh — particularly Shahjahanpur, his home turf — where assembly polls were due at that time. While exiting the Congress fold, the leader said that he was hardly consulted for the Uttar Pradesh matters. However, what irked him the most was the party's change of guard in Shahjahanpur district Congress unit without his knowledge.
Priyanka Chaturvedi
Priyanka Chaturvedi had quit the Congress in 2019 over a matter of self-respect and alleged that safety, dignity and empowerment of women promoted by the Congress was not reflected in the actions of some of its members. “In my 10 years in politics, I have raised the issue of women’s safety and empowerment strongly, for which I suffered social media trolling and abuse. I was pained by the fact that some party members who made certain remarks about me were reinstated. It was forgotten that a woman like me dedicated 10 years without any greed or expecting returns. It was a matter of self-respect for me and I did not want to let down all those women for whom I spoke,” Chaturvedi had written to Rahul Gandhi. Chaturvedi was also upset over being passed over in allotment of party ticket to actor Urmila Matondkar for the Mumbai North Lok Sabha constituency.
Apart from these leaders, there were many other Congressmen who left the party complaining of the leadership. Hardik Patel, Ashwani Kumar, RPN Singh, Kuldeep Bishnoi, Raju Parmar, Naresh Raval, Sravan Dasoju, Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, Jaiveer Shergill.