Senior Congress leader and one of the prominent Muslim faces of the party, Ghulam Nabi Azad quit the party on Friday with a scathing critique of the Gandhis, mainly Rahul Gandhi. Azad is likely to launch a new party in Jammu & Kashmir. The 73-year-old quit the party days after he rejected a post in the Jammu & Kashmir Congress, saying his recommendations for appointments had been ignored. He has joined the list of illustrious party leaders who have left the Congress in the last few years. While most have cited inactive leadership and lack of vision for quitting the party, Azad has particularly come down hard on the Gandhis.
He was once considered to be very close to them. The veteran leader slammed the Gandhis with a five-page resignation letter, accusing Rahul Gandhi of “childish behaviour” and immaturity and of letting a “coterie of inexperienced sycophants” run the party. The nature of criticism has not gone unnoticed. There is a growing restlessness among Congress workers and leaders. Sonia Gandhi’s health is deteriorating day by day and she wants to leave the temporary charge as party president. Rahul Gandhi is reluctant to come back as president. The election for the party’s president also keeps getting delayed. The grand old party is passing through its worst phase. With prominent leaders also slowly leaving the party, the prospects for the Congress looks bleak. Unless a drastic measure is taken to revive the party, the future is doomed.