Congress' Tariq Hamid Karra questions timing of Ghulam Nabi Azad's resignation

Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Tariq Hamid Karra said on Saturday that popular perception is that Ghulam Nabi Azad resigned from the party at the behest of the BJP and thus the BJP was successful in further fragmenting the votes in Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP's gain in J&K is the loss of its people, he said.

"Considering how things have unfolded for some time now we have all the reasons to believe the popular perception that Azad sahib resigned at the behest of the BJP," Karra said in an interaction at his residence in Srinagar. "I think the BJP once again was successful in further fragmenting J&K through a new party or a facilitative platform that may emerge now."

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's farewell speech for Azad in the Rajya Sabha, Karra said, "We are all aware of the tearful farewell under newly found bonhomie in the Rajya Sabha. The Prime Minister had clearly said that they won't let Azad sahib go waste and he would soon be assigned a specific task."


The former parliamentarian questioned the timing of the resignation, saying that Azad resigned when Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was out of the country for treatment and a day after Union home minister Amit Shah chaired a high-profile meeting on J&K in Delhi.

"Azad sahib always expressed his resentment when Mrs Gandhi was away. Also, we don't know what was discussed and decided in the meeting chaired by the home minister, but the resignation came right after the meeting," said Karra.

The Congress leader accused Azad of "doublespeak" when attacking Rahul Gandhi and said that Azad himself had proposed Gandhi's name for the party president in 2018. "Azad sahib persuaded all delegates that Rahul should be given powers to choose his team and nominate CWC members as well," said Karra.