Patna: Former Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad on Saturday alleged that the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha and senior party leader Rahul Gandhi was the "most insecure leader" in Indian politics.
Ahmad was once AICC general secretary and also a union minister had resigned soon after the completion for Bihar assembly election last November.
Party rift
In an interview to a private news channel, he claimed that it was very difficult for any senior and experienced Congress leader to survive in the party these days without being humiliated. He also alleged serious mismanagement by the Congress leaders during Bihar election and wondered whether the leadership would ever do any introspection on it. Ahmad alleged, “Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is only a nominal president, while all major decisions are taken by Rahul Gandhi.”
“Rahul faces difficulties working with senior and prominent leaders. He distances himself from situations where he doesn't feel like the boss," he alleged.
SIR criticism
Slamming Rahul over the SIR, Ahmad said that it has completely failed and the Muslim community also did not agree with his allegations. He also claimed that many senior Congress leaders are afraid to be photographed with Muslim leaders and Muslims because they fear losing the Hindu vote bank. Rahul`s "Save the Constitution movement" is also meaningless, as it has no impact at the ground level, he further claimed.
Responding sharply to Ahmad`s statement, Bihar Congress spokesperson Asit Nath Tiwari said that Ahmad was aspiring to get a Rajya Sabha ticket and hence was making such a statement. “Congress will never tolerate such type of blackmailing,” he asserted.
Congress reply
On the other hand, Bihar JD (U) spokesperson Abhishek Jha said that Ahmad had once exposed Congress through his comments on Rahul.
BJP leader Pradeep Bhandari said, "Rahul talks about democracy, while he doesn't follow democracy within his own party. This is what Shakeel Ahmad says. Rahul has made Kharge ji a dummy." “No Congress leader takes Rahul Gandhi seriously," he alleged.
