Ghulam Nabi Azad to Launch New Party, Group of 23 Meets at Azad’s Delhi Home

New Delhi: Congress veteran leader Ghulam Nabi Azad’s resignation from the grand old party on Friday has once again brought the G-23 group (Congress leaders who had written to Sonia Gandhi seeking reforms in the party) into focus.

After the high-profile exit from the Congress party, some members of G-23 group held a meeting at Azad’s home in Delhi on Saturday, a few media outlets reported. It’s still not known what was discussed in the meeting. 

Reacting to the exit of Ghulam Nabi Azad, a senior Congress leader Manish Tewari said  crack seems to have appeared in coordination between India and Congress that existed since 1885. He said, two years ago G-23 group wrote a letter to Sonia Gandhi and made our apprehensions about the party’s affairs known to her. 

Talking to media over resignation of Ghulam Nabi Azad sahib, Ex MLAs from J&K and myself! pic.twitter.com/TIXqgXVfy1

— Salman Nizami (@SalmanNizami_) August 26, 2022

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

Azad in his resignation letter to the Congress High Command wrote that he had ‘lost the will and ability to fight for what is right for the country.” He added that the party was running under the instructions of a small group of All India Congress Committee (AICC) leaders.

Echoing Azad’s words, the lawyer-turned-politician Jaiveer Shergill, who had resigned as Congress spokesperson recently, criticised the Congress party for its ‘coterie culture.’ 

“Now a senior leader is speaking about it becoming a club of PAs and security guards and it shows that leaders across age groups are frustrated and disappointed by this entire coterie culture that is thriving in the Congress,” Shergill told ANI. 

Azad to float new party

Former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad is all set to launch his own party, his close confidant G M Saroori revealed on Saturday. He said the party's first unit would come up in Jammu and Kashmir within a fortnight.

Saroori was among the eight former Congress MLAs and ex-ministers from Jammu and Kashmir who tendered their resignations from Congress in support of Azad. Those who resigned are former ministers GM Saroori, RS Chib and Jugal Kishore Sharma, and Choudhary Akram, Mohammad Amin Bhat, Gulzar Ahmad Wani, Haji Abdul Rashid and Naresh Gupta, all former legislators. 

MA Khan, a former Rajya Sabha MP from Hyderabad, has announced his resignation from Congress in support of Ghulam Nabi Azad. Meanwhile, several political leaders from Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday met veteran leader Ghulam Nabi Azad. 

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“MLAs from Jammu and Kashmir are here. A few more-some senior leaders and ex-ministers-will come in the evening. Azad Sa'ab said a national party will be formed, we'll begin from J&K and the upcoming poll will be fought strongly. Don't want to reply to comments, we'll reply with a victory,” said ex-Congress leader Salman Nizami.

Delhi | MLAs from J&K are here. A few more-some senior leaders & ex-ministers-will come in evening. Azad Sa'ab said a national party will be formed,we'll begin from J&K&upcoming poll will be fought strongly. Don't want to reply to comments, we'll reply with victory: Salman Nizami pic.twitter.com/IsRtPECrMO

— ANI (@ANI) August 27, 2022