Criticisms continue to pour against Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. Former Congress parliamentarian Gufran Azam on Monday accused the Gandhi scion of destroying the Grand Old Party of Indian politics.
While talking to media persons here at his residence, Azam said, "Rahul thought the Youth Congress and NSUI are labs and did experiments and destroyed them," adding, that he did the same with the Congress.
Azam, also the former chairman of MP Waqf Board, blamed party president Sonia Gandhi for the party's present situation. He said that things were much better when Sonia was directly heading the party. "Things in the Congress started going downhill when Rahul was made the in-charge," he said.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy took the opportunity to take potshots at Rahul. He backed Azam's comments saying, "I have been saying for long that Rahul Gandhi is worthless. So he is right."
Azam also questioned Rahul's leadership credentials, saying, "Hum toh thak gaye sun sun ke, koi use pappu bolta hai, koi munna bolta hai, sharam aati hai." (We are tired of hearing people addressing the Congress vice-president as 'Pappu' and 'Munna' and feel ashamed).
Azam, who appeared to be very upset with the party leadership, said that he had been writing to Congress president Sonia Gandhi since 2005 that sycophants are ruling the roost in the party.
Commenting on the landslide victory of the BJP in the recently held general elections, the former Congress MP asserted, "Modi's prediction was right, he has crushed the Congress. The party did not see it coming, I warned but no one listened," Azam added.
"I have been an AICC member for the last 40 years and I will never join the BJP," he asserted. To a query about his letter, he stated that he was not critical of the party leadership. Ghufran said he does not think that talking about steps to improve the party's position amounted to criticising anybody.