Cong calls Azad 'selfish', says he left party when tasked to serve J&K

The Congress on Tuesday called Gulam Nabi Azad a "selfish person" and said he left the party when he was tasked to render his services in Jammu and Kashmir.

It said Azad forgot the favours done to him by the party leadership by giving him important responsibilities in the past 50 years.

"A sadhu made a cat, dog and finally a lion out of a mouse. But when the lion came to him to make sadhu a feast, he converted him back to mouse. Like this, my Congress party made someone a lion out of a mouse. If loin has bad intentions on his part, it (party) has the power to make him a mouse again. This power is in every worker of the Congress party," AICC in-charge for J-K and MP Rajani Patil said while addressing a rally here. She did not name Azad in her 'sadhu and mouse' tale though.

Patil lashed out at Azad for being selfish in leaving the party at the time when the leadership tasked him to render his services in the Union territory.

"When time came for you (Azad) to render services for the Congress party (which is currently out of the power), you left the party. It is a selfish thing. It is not the right thing. You are shedding crocodile tears. You did not remember the favours of the party and its top leadership for you," she added.

Patil said Azad accused the top leadership of forcing him out of the Congress but does he remember that they were same "gharwalay" (family) when former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi took him to Maharastra to get him elected from a safe seat when he got defeated in Jammu and Kashmir.

"You don't remember that (favour). For five terms, for a period of 30 years, you were given permanent Rajya Sabha seats by this family (garhwalas). You were made minister, cabinet minister, LoP and in-charge of various states and representatives of nation at international forums by this family (Gandhi family)," she said.

"You ruled the entire country as general secretary of the party. You don't remember that. You were made as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. You didn't remember any leader now," she added.

Patil said former prime minister Indira Gandhi chose "helpers" to contest elections on the party ticket and they won. It happened when no one was ready to contest elections on the party ticket during a tough time, she added. "That is the power of the party. Don't lose courage. we will win again," she told party workers.

Patil accused Azad of remaining silent on the Bilkis Bano rape case and the abrogation of Article 370.

Terming those leaders who left the party in Jammu and Kashmir as "disloyal", she said they thought that they will get benefits from going with Azad. "I tell them please go. It won't make any difference to the party."

Newly appointed J-K Congress president Vikar Rasool Wani, once an Azad loyalist, said a person who was brought up by the Congress for the past 45 years and given important posts is now speaking against party chief Sonia Gandhi.

He said it is sad when Azad goes to the media and alleges discrimination.

"People know how much discrimination and injustice has the Congress done with you (Azad). We all are with the Congress and its leadership in thick and thin," Wani said.

He said, "When Mufti Mohammad Sayeed left the Congress, the party was left with two MLAs in J-K. They were at that time also saying that the Congress is finished now. It is been broken. It won't figure anywhere. Then you know, the Congress again came to power. We formed government here twice," he said.

"We are not afraid of this new formation. There were seven parties in Jammu and Kashmir and one more got added to it. This new party will also get destroyed in the next few months but the flag of Congress will continue to flag high," Wani said.