Ghulam Nabi Azad Fell Into 'Trap' of PM Narendra Modi, Says Congress Leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

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.?

(With PTI Inputs)