BJP likely to keep up attack on Rahul Gandhi over Azad's 'undesirable businessmen' jibe

New Delhi [India], April 12 : Amid efforts by opposition parties to forge unity ahead of the 2024 electoral battle and Congress' insistence on a JPC probe into the Adani issue, BJP is likely to keep up its attack on Rahul Gandhi over former union minister Ghulam Nabi Azad's allegations against him.
BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad launched a strong attack on Rahul Gandhi on Monday following Ghulam Nabi Azad's allegations and asked if the Congress leader was working with anti-India businessmen to weaken the country.
"Ghulam Nabi Azad made serious allegations that whenever Rahul Gandhi goes abroad, he meets 'undesirable businessmen'... With whom did Rahul Gandhi meet? What is the agenda? Is Rahul Gandhi working with anti-India businessmen to weaken the country?" Prasad asked.
Azad, who heads the Democratic Progressive Azad Party, had lashed out at Rahul Gandhi for levelling allegations against him in relation to the Hindenburg-Adani row.
"It is a shame. Rahul Gandhi said he has never had any association with any businessman. Whereas his entire family, all along, have been associated with businessmen. Because I still have great respect for the (Gandhi) family. I do not want to speak anything. Otherwise, I can give 10 examples; where all he would meet -- even outside the country -- people who are undesirable businessmen," Azad told Asianet News in an interview.
Rahul Gandhi has persistently attacked the government over the Hindenburg-Adani row. During the budget session of Parliament, Congress and several other opposition parties insisted on a joint parliamentary probe into the Adani issue forcing daily adjournments.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and state Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav met Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday as part of efforts to forge opposition unity to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
During the interview, Azad accused Rahul Gandhi, a former Congress chief, of being directionless. Azad also spoke about Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Lok Sabha.
"Lots of people say that Rahul Gandhi's clout has increased after the Bharat Jodo Yatra. I was also under that impression like many in the country. But during the past 10 days, I realised he has zero clout. In 1978, Mrs Gandhi was disqualified and jailed. Within a few hours, more than one lakh people went to jail. Ten lakh people were waiting outside the jail because there was no space in the jail. Ten thousand people accompanied me and took a protest march to Parliament. I was in Tihar Jail for about a month," Azad said.
"Now, Rahul Gandhi, immediately after the Bharat Jodo Yatra, is disqualified and jailed, not even a mosquito has cried or come onto the road. He had to go to Surat court accompanied by working committee members from Delhi, MPs from Delhi and MLAs from Gujarat. Not a single youth or farmer from Gujarat joined," he added.
Asked whether Rahul was being misguided by those around him, the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister said Rahul Gandhi "is misguided himself".
"He misguides himself; he himself is directionless. We have been in politics for 50 years, why are we not misguided? Why was his dadi (grandmother) not misguided? Why was Sonia Gandhi not misguided? Why was Rajiv Gandhi not misguided?" Azad asked.
"The younger generation is ten times more frustrated with the leadership than the elders like me. Most young leaders below 50 have left Congress. It is not a question of one or two. From each state, I can count at least four-five dozen leaders, and most of those who left were part of Rahul Gandhi's team. They left because of the lack of leadership and direction from Rahul Gandhi," he added.
Former Defence Minister AK Antony's son Anil joined BJP recently and several other young leaders have left the Congress in the past.
Asked about remarks that BJP is the only national party, Azad said the present Congress leadership should take responsibility for the situation and that suggestions made were "totally ignored and neglected".
Azad resigned from Congress over differences of opinion with Congress leadership, mainly Rahul Gandhi. He was the leader of 'G23' which had pitched for internal reforms including organisational elections at all levels.
After quitting Congress, Azad formed Democratic Progressive Azad Party.
He has penned 'Azaad: An Autobiography', in which the former Congress veteran has written on his working relations with Congress leaders including Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others.