Modi and Azad: Farewell politics of Rajya Sabha

Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke highly of Ghulam Nabi Azad during the latter's farewell in the Rajya Sabha, the G23 members of Congress started to assert as Azad’s speech in Jammu on Sunday focused more on Modi and his humility than on strengthening his own party against BJP makes it clear that something significant is in the making, writes ETV Bharat's News Editor Bilal Bhat.

Hyderabad: Farewell to lawmakers is not new but the way retired Rajya Sabha member, Ghulam Nabi Azad, was treated and greeted by the Prime Minister during his farewell was telling.

Azad, the former Leader of Opposition, spoke more for the Prime Minister than for the congress, while he was articulating his thoughts in the Parliament, almost a month ago.

Narendra Modi, as usual, through his persuasive emotional address, in the upper house, set the agenda for others to speak for the LOP after he made a mention of him as to how Azad, the then Chief Minister of J&K, helped Gujarati tourists after they were caught between the politics and the violence of Kashmir.

The entire farewell session had its main focus on Azad, in the Parliament, which was primarily meant to see off all the four retiring Rajya Sabha members which include, Shamsher Singh Manhas, Nazir Ahmad, Fayaz Ahmad and Ghulam Nabi Azad. PM had tears while he was sending off the Leader of Opposition and he had all the praises for him.

Without explicitly mentioning the abrogation of article 370, Modi conveyed in his speech that how the outgoing lawmakers became part of the historic decisions the parliament made during their stint.

That is why Azad, seemingly, reciprocated in his address by not making any mention of article 370 or anything that would not fit in the agenda of the BJP.

Now the political upshot of the farewell game is becoming clear by the day, particularly, after the G 23, the members of Congress who had written a letter to Sonia Gandhi suggesting her to have a major political overhaul in the party, started to assert.

As it is an agreed reality in the political circles that there is nothing spontaneous in politics, anything that happens is planned and scripted. Azad’s speech in Jammu on Sunday focused more on Modi and his humility than on strengthening his own party against BJP makes it clear that something significant is in the making.

If so, then what is it that the two leaders are going to gain mutually? How is Azad going to play a role for Modi without compromising his principles of neutrality which he maintained even when had to deliver the speech as LOP in the upper house?

His words for Modi at no point undermined his association with congress and his longing for the Gandhi family.

It would be interesting to find the point of convergence between the two- Modi and Azad- where the expectations they have for each other meet.

How is PM Modi going to capitalise on Azad, a Muslim face from the opposition camp, objectively neutral, a hardcore nationalist and a resident of contentious Jammu and Kashmir and now a leader of G23.

Moreover, Modi’s liking for Azad makes him all the more important. G 23 is now led by Azad and have opened a new but neutral political front not claiming to be a separate entity.

The same group under his leadership have launched their campaign from Jammu which is significant in the context of upcoming polls in four states and Puducherry.

The rally in Jammu was carried out by the group hardly a day after the Election Commission of India made election dates public.

Meanwhile, Priyanka Gandhi is seen campaigning in Assam for her party men and hardly any G23 member seem to have joined her in her maiden visit to a poll-bound state Assam.

Azad and his cronies are up to something very interesting as his speech as well as shakti pradarshanwhich he made in Jammu are significant in the context of how BJP is under tremendous pressure from state leadership over the restoration of statehood in Jammu and Kashmir.

How the relevance between Azad’s political maneuvering is going to have with the restoration of statehood will be an interesting development to watch.

The defiant leadership of the Congress, apparently, wouldn’t let Rahul win the party president-ship unopposed. And if they fail to have a president of their choice the only option they will have to make a split faction of congress led by the leader of their choice.

In that case, Azad may think of making a bonhomie with Modi given his proximity with the PM.

In fact, the way he tries to keep Modi’s name reverberating in his political speeches to keep the option open for him.