Azad fell into trap of PM Modi, says Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said he was not surprised by the resignation of his party colleague Ghulam Nabi Azad as it was clear he had fallen into the "trap" set by PM Modi

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury | File photo
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury | File photo
Press Trust of India Raipur
3 min read Last Updated : Aug 26 2022 | 11:50 PM IST

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Friday said he was not surprised by the resignation of his party colleague Ghulam Nabi Azad as it was clear he had fallen into the "trap" set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had shed tears for him in Parliament.

He claimed if Azad (73) had been made a Rajya Sabha member again after his term in the Upper House of Parliament ended last year, he would not have resigned from the Congress. Chowdhury, who is also chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Lok Sabha, was talking to reporters here in the evening after panel members returned from a tour of the Bastar region of the state. Congress leader Azad on Friday ended his five-decade association with the party, terming it comprehensively destroyed and lashing out at former president Rahul Gandhi for demolishing its entire consultative mechanism. Asked about Azad's resignation, Chowdhury said, I am not at all surprised. I live opposite his residence (in Delhi). After the Modi government came to power at the Centre, a minister or MP no longer holding the post had to quit his/her official residence. But Ghulam Nabi Azad had to never vacate his residence (in Delhi)." The Congress Lok Sabha member from West Bengal then lashed out at the prime minister. Has anyone seen PM Modi expressing grief over the death of 50 lakh people due to coronavirus in the country? But he (PM) cried during the retirement of Azad from the Rajya Sabha (in February 2021). That day the whole episode was over for us. I understood...it was clear he (Azad) has fallen into the trap of Modi ji, he said. Chowdhury said the veteran politician got miffed with the party leadership after he was not renominated to the Rajya Sabha. He said, ...we (Congress) can't make everyone a Rajya Sabha member all the time. Had he been made a Rajya Sabha MP, he would have agreed (to be in the party). When he didn't get it (the post of MP), he got angry. Ghulam ji's anger led him to leave the party." The Congress MP said the party gave Azad everything during his decades-long political career. Everyone knows which party gave him (Azad) recognition. What did the Congress party not give to him? He was made chief minister of Jammu Kashmir and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. Every generation of the Congress (in the last few decades) has seen him holding some post, he said. Briefing about his visit to Bastar, Chowdhury said the image of Bastar, which was once infamous for Maoist violence, is changing and development activities have resulted in decline in activities of Naxalites.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Quarterly Starter

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

Save 46%

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Access to Exclusive Premium Stories Online

  • Over 30 behind the paywall stories daily, handpicked by our editors for subscribers

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

Topics :CongressAdhir Ranjan ChowdhuryGhulam Nabi AzadNarendra Modi

First Published: Aug 26 2022 | 11:50 PM IST

Next Story