In an escalation of its attack on Rahul Gandhi, the BJP said the Congress leader must explain who are the businessmen he meets and the purpose – based on an interview of former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad who alleged that Rahul Gandhi goes abroad and meets ‘undesirable businessmen’. This comes after Rahul Gandhi’s Adani tweet in which he mentioned the names of five former Congressmen including Ghulam Nabi Azad saying that these names are just BJP’s tools to divert attention from Adani. Read | Rahul Gandhi’s new photo has BJP, Cong warring on Twitter: ‘Go eat there’
Reacting to the Adani tweet in which his name has been dragged, Ghulam Nabi Azad told a news channel that it is shameful as he never had any association with any businessmen whereas the entire family (Gandhi) is associated with businessmen including him. “I have great respect for the family. I don’t want to speak anything against the family. Otherwise, I would have given examples of where he would go and meet undesirable businessmen even outside the country,” Ghulam Nabi Azad said.
Rahul Gandhi has been at the centre of a political row triggered by his Lok Sabha speech on Adani which got expunged in parts; for his UK speech; for his conviction in the 2019 Modi-surname case, disqualification from the Lok Sabha, for his Savarkar comment and now the ‘Adani’ tweet. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma whose name was also mentioned in that tweet said he will file a defamation suit against Rahul Gandhi for that tweet. “Whatever Rahul Gandhi has tweeted, it is a defamatory tweet. So once Prime Minister goes back from Assam we will respond to the tweet and definitely, there will be a defamation case in Guwahati,” Himanta Biswa said.
Amid this, former J&K chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad released his memoir ‘Azaad’ in which he categorised Congress as ‘bloopers and bombast’. In several interviews, he criticised Rahul Gandhi and said it was for Rahul Gandhi that he and many leaders exited the party.
