Ghulam Nabi Azad: Does Cong Want Him Out Now?

It is very difficult for anyone in the Congress to believe that senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad would not have been consulted before reconstituting the Jammu and Kashmir unit. The manner in which Azad refused to be part of it and resigned as Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Campaign Committee and a member of State Political Affairs Committee within hours after announcement shows he has blown a war horn. Congress sources say Azad was consulted four times and some of his suggestions were even accepted. If he had headed the Campaign Committee, when Saiffuddin Soz was PCC chief, why was he having a problem to be part of the team under Tariq Ahmed Karra now? Party sources say it is quite likely Azad may have been surprised by the final list as he may not have been apprised about its details. “It is quite possible that the Congress leadership didn’t want him to continue or else the AICC would have shared the list with him,” points out a leader. Officially, of course Azad has cited health reasons to decline responsibilities. However, the buzz is he could be launching his own political outfit to contest the J&K polls which are a year away. A prominent leader of the G 23 who wrote to Sonia Gandhi seeking better practices within the party, Azad was disappointed when the party did not nominate him to Rajya Sabha.