'Let Him Go' Was Rahul Gandhi’s Blunt Reply When Himanta Rebelled Against Congress: Azad In His Memoir

Ghulam Nabi Azad also narrated about how he went to Sonia Gandhi to apprise her of the new “twist in the tale” but "she did not assert herself as the party president."

New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi bluntly said to let Himanta Biswa Sarma, once a key Congress leader in Assam, go when he was told about the latter having the support of a majority of MLAs and that he would rebel and quit the party, wrote Ghulam Nabi Azad in his autobiography ‘Azaad’, as per a report by news agency PTI.

The present Assam Chief Minister, Sarma, who joined BJP in 2015 was an important Congress strategist. Ten MLAs followed him when he quit the party in September 2015 over differences with the Congress leadership in Assam.

"Rahul told us bluntly that there would be no change in leadership. We pointed out to him (Rahul) that Himanta had the majority of MLAs and would rebel and quit the party. 'Let him go,' Rahul said. The meeting was over," Azad, 74, says in his autobiography that will be released next month.

As per Azad, he was not sure  if Rahul said what he did "to assert himself or because he was ignorant that his decision would have far-reaching consequences, not only in the state of Assam but the entire Northeast".

Azad, who left Congress in August 2022 and formed his party Democratic Progressive Azad Party, said Rahul Gandhi "mismanaged" the Sarma episode.

‘Sonia Gandhi Didn’t Assert Herself As Party President’

The former Rajya Sabha MP also narrated about how he went to Sonia Gandhi to apprise her of the new “twist in the tale” after the interaction with Rahul Gandhi. 

"... it is rather unfortunate that she did not assert herself as the party president. Instead, she asked me to request Himanta to not rock the boat," he wrote.

From devising a strategy with Indira Gandhi to bring Rajiv into politics and convincing Sonia to become the party chief to his mediation efforts in the tussle between Rahul Gandhi and Himanta Biswa Sarma, Ghulam Nabi in "Azaad" explores the challenges of leadership and the consequences of daring to bring fresh thinking into the political landscape, the publishers Rupa said in a statement.