Diminishes himself further: Congress on Ghulam Nabi Azad's criticism

Ghulam Nabi Azad (PTI)

The Congress on Monday slammed Ghulam Nabi Azad for his latest attack on its top leadership, saying he has been tasked to "slander" the party and by doing so he diminishes himself further.

Launching a fresh attack on the Congress three days after he quit the party, Azad said the party needs medicines for treating it which are being provided by compounders instead of doctors. He also accused the Congress leadership of not having time for setting the organisation right.

Speaking to reporters at his residence here, Azad who quit the party on Friday last, alleged that the leaders being projected in the party in states are making party members leave instead of uniting them.

Hitting back at Azad, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "After such a long career, courtesy entirely the party he's been tasked to slander, by giving interviews indiscriminately, Mr. Azad diminishes himself further."

"What's he afraid of that he's justifying his treachery every minute? He can be easily exposed but why stoop to his level?" he said on Twitter. Azad on Friday had ended his five-decade association with the party, terming it "comprehensively destroyed" and lashing out at Rahul Gandhi for "demolishing" its entire consultative mechanism.

The Congress, dealing with the fallout of a series of high profile exits, including that of Kapil Sibal and Ashwani Kumar, had attempted to deflect the latest blow by alleging that Azad's DNA had been "Modi-fied" and linking his resignation to the end of his Rajya Sabha tenure.