Rahul main reason why I, many others left Cong; need to be 'spineless' to remain in that party: Azad
New Delhi (PTI): Veteran politician Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday said Rahul Gandhi is the primary reason why he and many others are not in the Congress today and claimed that one has to be "spineless" to remain in the grand old party.
He further claimed that it is not in the hands of Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi or even Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to ensure his return in the party fold even if they wanted.
He asserted "it was too late" for him to do so even if Rahul Gandhi sought his return.
The veteran leader, who has since floated the Democratic Progressive Azad Party, said no one is "untouchable" in politics today and he could go with any party to form a government as he did not rule out going with the BJP, to be a part of a government in Jammu and Kashmir if both win once elections are held there.
Azad also noted that had Rahul Gandhi not torn the ordinance brought out by the UPA government in 2013 he would not have been disqualified today and described the then Union Cabinet as "weak" by not going ahead despite Gandhi tearing the ordinance.
Speaking about his new book "Azaad: An Autobiography", which was released by former union minister and Sadr-i-Riyasat of the state of Jammu and Kashmir Dr Karan Singh, he said he continues to remain "2000 percent more Congressi" than those leaders who work through Twitter.
The former Congress stalwart, who has worked with four Congress prime ministers and remained party general secretary for almost every state, quit the party last year over differences with the leadership.
Asked if Rahul Gandhi is the reason why he is not in the Congress, Azad said, "Yes. Not me alone, but at least a few dozen more - both young and old leaders."
"Once you are in the Congress, you are spineless," he observed, adding that "you have to get operated".
Azad also said leaders should not be forced when top leadership is going to appear before any probe agency, like it is done now. He cited the example of former prime ministers when leaders went along with them voluntarily when they appeared before any Commission of Inquiry or probe agency and no whip was issued, unlike today.
"I don't mind if anyone goes to Surat along with Rahul Gandhi, but you cannot force the leaders to come. But today, a whip is issued, which should not be done forcing everyone to accompany... There are a lot of orthopedics today," he said while elaborating his "spineless" remark.
Azad also took a dig at some Congress leadership running the show in the party today saying, "I am 2000 percent more Congressi than those who run (politics) on Twitter. I am 24-Carat Congress by conviction, they are not even 18 Carat."
On whether he would like to rejoin the party, he said, "But, they don't want people like us. They want those who are fast on Twitter and are claiming that after Bharat Jodo Yatra the party will get 500 seats."
He said he was angry at those leaders who are "destroying" the party today.
Asked if Sonia Gandi gave him a call to return to the Congress fold, he said, "kaash agar Sonia Gandhi ke haath mein hota to hum yahan aate nahin (I wish if that was in the hands of Sonia Gandhi, we would have been sitting here today)... Sonia Gandhi cannot decide."
On whether Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge would decide on his re-entry, he said, "no way".
And if Rahul Gandhi wanted his return, Azad said "it is too late. I know the working style of the present leadership."
"Congress leaders dub me who has been 'Modi-fied', but I am 'Azadi-fied'," he noted, asserting that he may have left the Congress party but his objectivity has not gone.
The former leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha said Indira Gandhi was a 24x7 politician and Rajiv Gandhi, though being a reluctant leader initially, was also totally into politics and 24 hours were less for him once he finally decided to enter politics.
"I wish Rahul Gandhi would have worked 1/50th of what Indira Gandhi or Rajiv Gandhi did, he would have succeeded," he said while training his guns on Rahul Gandhi.
He also noted that politics is first a commitment to oneself, to people, to party nd to country, and one has to rise to the occasion when required and when there is party work.
"Time does not wait for anyone. Politics is survival of the fittest," he said, adding that he may not like Prime Minister Narendra Modi or his ideology but he is a 24-hour politician and one should not ignore that while fighting with him.
On the ordinance brought out by the UPA government in 2013, he said, "We brought the ordinance because we knew that one should be ready that other parties will be in power too and they would use it against us. It was a weak cabinet and it should have gone ahead by bringing a law and should have stuck by its decision of bringing the law even after Rahul Gandhi dismissed it as nonsense and tore it," he said.
"It was a wrong thing on the part of the Congress party and decided to keep mum at the time...Rahul Gandhi would have been saved today through that only. The one who tore it, it got applied on him now. He should have realised it then...'khud kiye aapne deewaron mein suraakh, ab koin jhaank rahe hain to shor kyon (after you created holes in your own wall, when people are watching through them then why raise a voice now).
On whether he would go with the BJP if his party was in a position to form a government, he said, "Why are you jumping the gun."
He also recalled that they have had an alliance with the National Conference and the PDP, asserting that the BJP may get a maximum of 25 seats, but there are other 65 seats left for him to ally with.
"In politics no one is untouchable. In politics, no one is permanent friend, no one is permanent enemy. These days nobody is untouchable in politics," he said.
Asked why he is allowed to keep his house at a time when Rahul Gandhi has been asked to vacate his official bungalow, Azad said, "I was attacked by militants 26 times in Punjab and 16 times in Jammu and Kashmir when I was chief minister."
"I have been given the house because of home ministry's orders (on threat perception).
"I have been giving water, power and other bills including on my security from my own pension".
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Media dinner shooting suspect wrote about targeting of administration officials, Trump says
Washington (AP): The man accused of trying to storm the ballroom at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner with guns and knives had written about targeting Trump administration officials, and his family raised concerns with law enforcement before the event, President Donald Trump said Sunday in an interview on Fox News Channel.
The accused gunman's family had alerted police in Connecticut, Trump said, revealing new details about a chaotic encounter that disrupted one of Washington's glitziest annual events the night before.
The suspect, identified by law enforcement officials as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, was expected to face criminal charges on Monday from the Justice Department, whose acting leader, Todd Blanche, said the suspect travelled by train from California and checked in as a guest days earlier at the Washington hotel where the Saturday night gala dinner was held with its typically tight security.
Law enforcement officials who have interviewed Allen's relatives, examined the gunman's electronic devices and his writings preliminarily believe he intended to target administration members in attendance at the dinner.
He attempted to charge into the cavernous ballroom at the Washington Hilton but was tackled to the ground in a violent scene that resulted in shots being fired, Trump being hurried off the stage and guests ducking for cover beneath their tables.
“It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC's “Meet the Press.”
The suspect is believed to have purchased the two firearms he carried within the last couple of years, Blanche said. He is not being cooperative and is expected to face multiple charges on Monday.
Video posted by Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him. One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but was recovering, officials said. The gunman was taken into custody and was not injured, but was being evaluated at a hospital, police said.
“He failed,” Blanche said on CBS's “Face the Nation.” “Law enforcement did their jobs.”
Authorities believe the suspect fired the shot that hit the Secret Service officer, who is expected to make a full recovery, Blanche said.
“He's going to be great, he's going to be fine, and thank God he was wearing a bulletproof vest,” Blanche said Sunday on ABC's “This Week.”
Social media posts that appear to match the suspect show he is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.
A May 2025 profile photo of Allen appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted Saturday night by Trump.
The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master's degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Allen earned a bachelor's degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.
The shooting at the security barricades happened minutes after the event got underway.
The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the room as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Gasps echoed through the ballroom as guests realised something was happening. Hundreds of journalists immediately got on phones to call in information.
“Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a “God Bless America” chant began as the president was escorted offstage. Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.
After an initial attempt to resume the event, it was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.
Trump was unusually conciliatory after what he saw as a third attempt on his life in less than two years. He suggested that his personal politics had made him a repeated target, but he also called for unity and bipartisan healing in an increasingly violent world.
“It's always shocking when something like this happens. Happened to me, a little bit. And that never changes,” Trump told reporters in a hastily organised news conference at the White House late Saturday.
