Congress doomed beyond redemption: Amarinder Singh after Azad resigns

Former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Friday targeted the Congress, saying the party under the current leadership is "doomed beyond redemption".

His statement came on a day senior Congress leader quit the party, terming it comprehensively destroyed and accusing the leadership of committing fraud in the name of "sham" internal polls.

Amarinder Singh had also quit the Congress last year following his unceremonious exit as the chief minister and floated his own outfit, Punjab Lok Congress.

"When you cannot retain leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad who spent his entire life with the party, there is something terminally wrong with your functioning and the way you treat your senior and seasoned leaders," Singh said in a statement.

Questioning the claims of some leaders that the party had given Azad so much, Amarinder Singh said it is a reciprocal process.

"The party is made by the blood and sweat and hard work of leaders," he remarked, adding, "It cannot be a one-man show."

Congratulating Azad for taking the bold decision, he said a conscientious and sincere leader cannot compromise on principles and dignity.

"It is a particular set of people with a particular set of vested interests that has started the rot," he said, adding that the senior leaders who withstood so many storms from time to time and stood by the party are being forced to leave.

Amarinder Singh condemned the alleged malicious statements made by Congress leaders against Azad.

"Instead of levelling baseless charges against him, you should introspect as why this exodus is turning non-stop and terminal," he said.