Azad: No longer Ghulam?

Venkatesh Kesari

Few politicians have relished the status of an insider as much as Ghulam Nabi Azad, the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and former leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha whose comments and interviews in the last 48 hours have set off a buzz on whether he is preparing the ground to shake off Congress shackles and move on.

Azad, currently a member of the Congress Working Committee, the highest decision making body of the party, has been steadily marginalised by the Gandhi siblings, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, ever since he went public with his demand for a full time Congress president and pressed for holding organisational election, along with 23 senior party leaders a few months ago, the so-called group of 23.

Known as a man of all seasons and a great survivor, Azad had worked with leaders like the late Sanjay Gandhi as well as Prime Ministers Rajiv Gandhi, P V Narasimha Rao, Dr Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, tied closely with the party and the government as well in over a four decade- long career in the grand old party. While he was a floor manager with the minority government of P V Narasimha Rao, as minister for parliamentary affairs he handled almost all major states in different positions as the AICC point man. But in denying him the Rajya Sabha nomination after the expiry of his term, the Gandhi siblings sent out a clear message that he was no longer required. This was followed by the body blow of being dropped from the AICC’s disciplinary action committee.

All these developments created a new bond between him and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi as was evident during the speeches in the Rajya Sabha that were made when the body bid him farewell.

His recent prediction that the Congress will not win 300 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections is being interpreted in political circles as a side swipe at the Congress’ leadership – as in Rahul and Priyanka’s - inability to rally enough votes to come to power for a third time. His second remark that “only the Supreme Court can decide on reversing the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir” was however the signal that he was warming up to the Modi dispensation.

In Jammu and Kashmir, mainline political parties such as the National Conference and the PDP led by Mehbooba Mufti have had a long history of allying with the BJP and sharing power with it, despite the parties’ opposition to Article 370 and their biting slogan “ek desh me do vidhan (constitution), do nishan (flags) and do pradhan (prime ministers) kabhi nahi”. In his latest interview to a television channel Azad underlined his angst when he said: “The present generation of the Congress is not open to suggestions. If some senior members give one, it is seen as a crime or rebellion. The advice of senior leaders should not be taken as an affront or challenge,” he said. When the TV reporter asked him to explain his recent comment that he does not see the Congress winning 300 seats in Lok Sabha elections, Azad did try some damage control, saying that he was referring to the only time the party won 300+ seats under Indira Gandhi and the time it crossed 250 with Narasimha Rao as prime minister. “In the last few decades, we have won far fewer seats. It is there for everyone to see,” he said.

“It hurts when our advice is not heeded. We give suggestions for the overall improvement of the party. None of us wants any posts in the party. All we want is that the performance of the party should improve,” he said. “This is a time when the ruling party is strong and the Opposition is weak. A weak Opposition benefits the ruling party.”

Asked if the Congress is on the decline, Azad said, “It is for everyone to see. I am a staunch Congressi… The party needs to introspect, work together, devise strategies and pull itself up and be a force to reckon with.”

In many of his rallies, Azad urged the Centre to restore J&K’s statehood, hold elections and restore the Assembly so that welfare programmes can be taken to the people. Azad, however, has generally avoided speaking on restoration of special status, saying either the court or the current dispensation at the Centre can return it. “Let us be pragmatic. The current regime has taken away the special articles and it will not return them. The courts can adjudicate on it, but there has not been any hearing for the last many months,” he told reporters when asked if he had reconciled to the fact that Article 370 is done and dusted.

Azad, not as free as everyone thought?

(Venkatesh Kesri is a seasoned political commentator)