A day after Ghulam Nabi Azad’s exit from the Congress, MP Manish Tewari said that a crack seems to have appeared in coordination between India and the Congress that existed since 1885.

Tewari added that the former Union leader’s resignation could have been avoided if the party’s top leadership had heeded calls for introspection after multiple assembly poll losses.

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20 party leaders wrote to the Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi and said that the situation could have been avoided if the consensus of a meeting held in December 2020 had been executed, Manish Tewari added. 

 “A crack seems to have appeared in coordination between India and Congress that existed since 1885. A self-introspection was needed. I feel that had the consensus of the meeting at Sonia Gandhi’s residence on 20th December 2020 been executed, this situation wouldn’t have arrived,” Tewari told ANI.

“Two years back, 23 of us wrote to Sonia Gandhi that the party’s situation is worrying and should be taken seriously. Congress lost all Assembly polls after that letter. If Congress and India thought alike, it seems either of them has started thinking differently,” he added.

Adding that he is a party member he said, “We do not need any certificate from anyone. I’ve given 42 years to this party. I’ve said this before, We are not tenants of this institution (Congress), we’re a member”. Now if you try to push us out, then that is another matter, and it will be seen.”

Manish Tewari said, “Don’t want to go into merits of Mr Azad’s letter, he’d be in the best position to explain…But strange when people who don’t have the capacity to fight a ward poll, were “chaprasis” of Congress leaders give “gyaan” about the party it’s laughable.”

In his letter of resignation to the Congress interim president, Azad had resigned from all the party posts, including its primary membership. Azad cited the “immaturity” of Rahul Gandhi, whom he blamed for “demolishing the consultative mechanism” in the party.

Levelling serious allegations, Azad has said that proxies are propped up for the president’s post, who will only be a mere puppet. “They were abused, humiliated, insulted and vilified in a specially summoned meeting of the extended Congress Working Committee meeting after their letter seeking reforms in the party in 2020 which was signed by 23 leaders,” alleged Azad.

Following the resignation of veteran congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, five former Congress MLAs from Jammu & Kashmir legislators also resigned from the party.  All five were close associates with veterans.

A joint letter was signed by the leaders, including GM Saroori, Haji Abdul Rashid, Mohd Amin Bhat, Gulzar Ahmad Wani and Choudhari Mohd Akram and was presented to the media.

(With Inputs from ANI)