Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad
The political pundits are busy decoding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tearful farewell to retiring Rajya Sabha member of the Congress Ghulam Nabi Azad. What did the PM mean when he gestured in the emotional speech that his 'doors were always open' for Azad and 'he would not let him retire? What made Azad assert that he was proud to be a 'Hindustani Muslims'? Questions like these are buzzing in the political circles and speculations are rife on the Congress veteran's next move.
The experts are dishing out differing views on it. Some of them postulate that Azad might become the saffron face of Kashmir jumping the grand old party ship, while some others guess that the Congress will either entrust him with big party responsibility or will ensure his return to the Upper House.
What has made the matter more interesting that Ghulam Nabi Azad himself has made it clear that he has no wish to be a Member of Parliament or minister, and he does not want to hold any position in the party.
Curiously, Congress has not revealed its plan yet. Azad is retiring from the Rajya Sabha on 15 February and the Congress has many stalwarts waiting for their turn to replace him as the leader of opposition in the Upper House.
Now the ball is in the court of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, but the analysts point at two hurdles in his return to the Rajya Sabha: first that he was the part of the 'G23' which sought reforms in the party, and second that the party high command will want a vociferous loyalist to lead the opposition and announce a name soon.
Onus on Congress chief to end all speculations
The challenge is for the Congress leadership to strike a balance and bring him around as the party cannot afford to lose a political leader of his stature by rebuffing him altogether. Not to forget that the party doesn't have many prominent Muslim faces to boast and his utility in the Congress is not limited to Jammu and Kashmir only. He knows the politics of the country like the back of his hand commanding the respect of even his political rivals.
Long-time Gandhi family loyalist, Azad has been in politics since 1973. Once a favourite of Indira Gandhi and a close aide of Rajiv Gandhi, Ghulam Nabi Azad has been a two-time Lok Sabha MP and the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir before his Rajya Sabha stint.
Setting aside the letter episode of the last year, when a group of 23 senior Congress leaders wrote to the interim chief demanding structural changes in the organisation (and Ghulam Nabi Azad was a part of the group), his relations with Sonia Gandhi have been steadfast and steady.
Before the farewell event in the Rajya Sabha, Sonia wrote a letter to Azad praising his contributions to parliament in the last 40 years. She also said that she looked forward to working with him in the future to strengthen Congress.
Day after the event, Ghulam Nabi Azad said he is totally satisfied with his work as a politician and wants to continue to serve the public without any post. But at 71, he still has much to offer. PM Modi has just spoken of not letting him retire, but it is for Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to ensure that a crisis manager like Azad is not sidelined and his conjectured exit is avoided.
However, the political grapevine is that the Congress may get Ghulam Nabi Azad re-elected for the Rajya Sabha from Kerala when three members from the state retire in April this year.
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. They do not reflect the views of India TV )
