‘They question me, but not the one who’s fulfilling Modi dream’

Amid allegations that his exit is motivated to help BJP ahead of the imminent J&K assembly polls, renegade Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad clarified that neither he nor BJP could contribute a single vote to each other.

- Swati Mathur & Subodh Ghildiyal

In his first media interaction since leaving the Grand Old Party, Azad explained to TOI’s Swati Mathur & Subodh Ghildiyal what triggered his exit and his plans for the future. Excerpts:

You have been a loyal soldier of Congress for nearly 50 years. Which point of the journey would you describe as the breaking point?

There have been years of humiliation. When Sonia Gandhi was helming the party from 1998-2004, there was no interference from the family. She consulted seniors, delegated powers. It was collective leadership. When Rahul Gandhi became an MP, Sonia’s consultations with seniors were far reduced and she largely conferred with him. From January 2013, when Rahul became vice-president, Sonia took a back seat. Rahul is a good person, but he has no aptitude for organisation. I have nothing against him as a person. But he does not seem to know the job. His heart and mind are not in it. His heart is abroad.

He never took interest in discussions or delegation. His agenda was to get rid of all those who are above 60, preferring younger blood, even if they lacked experience. He has a mental block. And even then, the highest attrition in Congress in recent years has been from within Team Rahul, be it Jyotiraditya Scindia, RPN Singh, Jitin Prasada, Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakore or Ashok Tanwar. It means something is wrong in his functioning and working.