Kapil Sibal congratulates Azad on Padma award: 'Ironic Congress doesn't need his services'

The rift in Congress over the announcement of Padma Bhushan for Ghulam Nabi Azad escalated on Wednesday with Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal openly questioning the party top brass. This comes in the wake of his party colleague Jairam Ramesh questioning Azad for not declining the Padma award on the lines of former West Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. While hailing the contribution of Azad, Sibal quipped, "Ironic that the Congress doesn't need his services when the nation recognises his contributions to public life".

A part of G23, Sibal had expressed deep concern over the functioning of the Sonia Gandhi-led party in the absence of a full-time president. Addressing the media on September 29 amid the infighting in Punjab Congress, "In our party, there is no president so we don't know who is making these decisions. We know and yet we don't know. I believe that one of my senior colleagues has perhaps written or is about to write to Congress Interim president (Sonia Gandhi) to immediately convene a CWC so that a dialogue can take place as to why we are in this state". 

Ghulam Nabi Azad-Congress ties sour

Ghulam Nabi Azad was also one of the 23 senior Congress leaders who wrote to Sonia Gandhi in August 2020 regarding the uncertainty over the leadership and the drift in the party. The letter reportedly mentioned many suggestions such as the need for a full-time leadership available at the national and state headquarters, conducting elections at all levels including the Congress Working Committee and state level, the formation of an Independent Election Authority, and institutional leadership mechanism to guide the party's revival. In February 2021, the ex-J&K CM also faced protests for praising PM Modi.

Heaping praises on PM Modi in his address on February 28, 2021, Azad said, "I like a lot of good things about many leaders. I come from a village and I am very proud of it. Our Prime Minister also admits that he comes from a village, and even though we are against each other in politics, but he doesn't hide his reality, his roots. If you try and hide your reality, then you are living in a false world". Despite speculation of his leaving the Congress party, the former J&K CM has repeatedly pledged his loyalty towards the party.