Ghulam Nabi Azad refused Sonia Gandhi's offer to be number two in Congress: Report

Former Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad has refused the offer of his party's president Sonia Gandhi to work in the number two position in the Grand Old Party, according to a report.

Before declaring the candidates for Rajya Sabha, Congress President Sonia Gandhi met Ghulam Nabi Azad and discussed several issues including the party's plan for him. In the discussion, the matter of the Rajya Sabha elections didn't come up, however, Gandhi asked Azad whether he would be comfortable working in the number two position in the Grand Old Party.

To this, Azad reportedly turned down the position and said that there is a difference between the thinking of youths running the party and the veterans. "Today a generation gap has come between the youth running the party and us. There is a difference between our thinking and their thinking. So the youth are not willing to work with the party veterans," Azad said according to ANI.

'Azad showing little interest in party's work'

Azad who is currently a member of the party’s working committee and a member of the political affairs group recently constituted by Sonia Gandhi is not even taking much interest in the party's works, sources told ANI. Adding further, the source said that in the Chintan Shivir held in Udaipur, Azad spoke very little in the meetings of the committee. 

"After reshuffling in Haryana following Bhupendra Hooda’s pact with Rahul Gandhi, Hooda was no longer active in G23. Sibal also left the party. Wasnik and Vivek Tankha got the Rajya Sabha, due to which Azad’s importance or rather power as the leader of this group has been greatly reduced. Seeing the right opportunity, the party also offered not to send him to the Rajya Sabha and work in the organisation," sources told ANI. 

Sources informed ANI that Sonia Gandhi did not tell Azad about his specific role as to how he would get the number two status. "Will he be made the Vice President or the Working President or the General Secretary of the organization, this was also one of the reasons that Azad did not show interest in Sonia Gandhi’s offer." It is pertinent to mention that Azad wasn't on the list of Congress' Rajya Sabha nominations and in fact, the party decided to send Imran Pratapgarhi, the chairman of its minority wing, to the Rajya Sabha. 

Notably, Azad, who has worked for the Grand Old Party for several decades, was offered to send to the Rajya Sabha by a regional party from Bihar. He turned it down saying that ‘his last time will be spent under Congress’ flag.

(with ANI inputs)