The first thing that strikes you when you walk into Ghulam Nabi Azad’s residence in Delhi is a huge poster of Rajiv Gandhi and Indira Gandhi. He considers them his mentors and is also proud to have worked with all the Gandhis, from Indira to Rahul.
Congressional reporters struck for a long time now that they saw this tall, thin man pacing back and forth through the extensive gardens of the AICC headquarters in Delhi. From time to time, he would separate himself from the crowding crowd to put his arm around a worker or party leader, cajoling them to work and stay with the party.
Today, Azad could do with cajoling himself, though he says Rahul Gandhi called him twice: once during the stormy CWC and once later. What has surprised many is that Azad, a party veteran and loyalist who spent several periods in jail, signed Sonia Gandhi’s letter of dissent, demanding radical changes.
Today he is known as the “letter writer” and is part of the core team of the group of 23 signatories.
Sounding cautious, Azad said: “The situation the party is in today, we will not win for another 50 years. We have not questioned the Gandhis or the leadership, but we need to have elections. There must be full-time leadership. Also, unless elections are held for the PCC and the blocs, there will be no strengthening of the organization.
It was this point that Azad raised with other signatories. But the CWC boiled down to a discussion about the timing and the leak of the letter. And this is what has upset and hurt many of the signers, including Azad.
As organizing secretary and general secretary of many states and having led state leaders, Azad knows that internal elections guarantee acceptability and accountability. In a deeply divided party like Congress, central leadership appointments generally end up dividing state cadres rather than placating and uniting them.
This was evident in the infighting in states like Gujarat, UP, Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and many others, as centrally appointed chiefs are not acceptable to everyone. Elections for the highest positions, according to Azad and others, would ensure that a dissident loser will line up if everyone works together. Sources say Azad was equally upset when some members attacked him.
Ambika Soni, his bete noir for years, asked him: “I lost my house but your car hasn’t even seen a scratch and the flag is intact.”
The insinuation was that he was close to the ruling BJP. Azad furiously replied that if anyone proved the accusations against him, he would resign.
Rahul Gandhi was quick to placate him and telephoned him right after calling Kapil Sibal. Azad even said: “To be fair, the Gandhis were nice to me at the CWC. Ms. Gandhi ended the meeting on a positive note saying that we should all go ahead and work together. “
Azad is at a point today where he doesn’t know which side of his bread is buttered. There is an interesting anecdote showing how he moved and ascended the ladder. In 1979, the AICC headquarters at 24 Akbar Road, housed both the main organization and the Youth Congress.
Azad at that time was in the Youth Congress. There were no computers, just a typewriter to share with the main organization. His turn to use it would come at night when all the work was done. His work would start at one in the morning and continue until morning.
For a year, she stayed in an office opposite Indira Gandhi’s at the AICC. She would keep bread and butter in her office; that was their food. On a good day, Azad cooked rice, dal and meat. It is for this dedication that Indira Gandhi rewarded Azad, becoming one of the Gandhis’ trusted lieutenants.
Until this letter.
The two changes Sonia Gandhi has made bypass the main ordinance committee and the strategy committee. By virtue of being the leader of the house, Azad continues to be one of them. But do you feel bad or slighted? “No way. Some within the party are wrong. These changes and appointments were recommended by me. I have full faith in the Gandhis. It is my party and I want it to go well. I only mentioned a few issues. I am glad now that they have been accepted our demands. There will be elections for the position of president in six months and the rest of the organizational elections will be held during the next year. “
Azad rules out talking about feeling upset about being shut out in the changing new Congress. “They don’t know who Azad is and they don’t know about my association with the party for years,” he says.
Also look
Why did Ghulam Nabi Azad say that Congress will sit in opposition for the next 50 years?
There are many in Jammu-Kashmir who suggest that given the political vacuum and anger at the dominant parties such as Congress, the National Congress, and the PPD, Azad may be working with like-minded individuals and leaders to make a place for himself in the state not. nothing should work in the Center. But there is no confirmation or comment about it.
For the man who lived on butter toast for more than a year in a small room at the AICC in the 1970s, the struggle goes beyond the front row seat as leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha. It’s a fight for him yezatth (Cashmere for self respect).
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