Ghulam Nabi Azad rejected Sonia Gandhi’s offer to be number two in Congress: Report

According to sources, in his conversation with Sonia Gandhi, they did not talk about the Rajya Sabha election but asked Ghulam Nabi Azad whether he would be comfortable working in the number two position in Congress.

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New Delhi: Ghulam Nabi Azad, who started his political innings with Indira Gandhi, has refused to work in the number two position in the Congress, as per sources. In the upcoming Rajya Sabha election, Azad wasn`t offered a ticket. However, before declaring the candidate for Rajya Sabha, Sonia Gandhi met Azad and spoke to him expressing Congress` plan for him. According to sources, in his conversation with Sonia Gandhi, they did not talk about the Rajya Sabha election but asked Azad whether he would be comfortable working in the number two position in the organization.

In response to this question, Azad said, "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 has been ill for the past few days and was also admitted to the hospital. In fact, the party decided to send Imran Pratapgarhi, the chairman of the party`s minority wing, to the Rajya Sabha, while working toward uplifting the youth leadership. This decision was taken by Rahul Gandhi to which Sonia Gandhi agreed, said sources.

Imran is both `youth` and `minority`, so he can hit the targets in Congress. As Congress could not give tickets to the minorities, Sonia Gandhi asked to accommodate Azad in the organization, stated sources. With Azad going to the Rajya Sabha, the equation of the leadership of the Congress inside the Rajya Sabha would have deteriorated. At present, Mallikarjun Kharge is the Leader of the Opposition, a post earlier held by Azad.

Kharge was appointed the Leader of the Opposition after Azad retired. Azad is currently a member of the party`s working committee and a member of the political affairs group recently constituted by Sonia Gandhi. Sources said, for the past few days, Azad is not even taking much interest in the party works. 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"After reshuffling in Haryana following Bhupendra Hooda`s pact with Rahul Gandhi, Hooda was no longer active in G23.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 organization", added sources.

However, according to sources, Sonia Gandhi did not tell Azad 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", sources added. Now all eyes are on Azad`s next step. Azad, who has worked for the Congress 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.`