Rawat slams Shakeel Ahmad, calls him 'rotten potato' over remarks

Former Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat called ex-Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad a 'rotten potato' after Ahmad accused Rahul Gandhi of sidelining senior leaders and planning an attack on his residences, a claim he backed with WhatsApp messages.

Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and Congress leader Harish Rawat on Tuesday slammed the former Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad for his recent statements against Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi, calling him a "rotten potato." While speaking to ANI, Rawat said, "A rotten potato which separates from the group has no significance."

Shakeel Ahmad's Allegations

This comes after Shakeel Ahmad levelled several allegations against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. He claimed he was "secretly informed" by Congress colleagues that an attack on his residences in Patna and Madhubani was planned for January 27. He later shared screenshots of WhatsApp messages as evidence of the alleged plans.

Ahmad also spoke to ANI about the situation on Tuesday and directed his accusations towards the Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi, alleging that the top leadership in Congress is limited to Rahul Gandhi, implying that he wields absolute control. Ahmad claimed that the alleged attack plan stemmed from his statement about the latter.

He charged Gandhi with holding double standards, stating that many Bharatiya Janata Party leaders make regular statements about him. "Amit Shah ji gives statements about Rahul Gandhi every day. Why don't you react against them? I am not even in the Congress", he said. Clarifying his stance on Congress, he said that he is a well-wisher, not an enemy beacuse he has pledged not join any other party, and even his last vote before his demise would belong to Congress.

Root of the Controversy

The controversy was triggered after Shakeel Ahmad, who recently parted ways with the Congress, launched a sharp attack on Rahul Gandhi on January 24, accusing him of sidelining senior leaders and undermining internal democracy within the party.

Speaking with ANI, Ahmad said that Gandhi has kept the youth Congress and NSUI together to achieve the same. "Rahul Gandhi has kept the youth Congress and NSUI together as he wants to throw the senior established leaders out of the Congress party and replace them with leaders of the youth Congress and those who speak well of Rahul Gandhi," he said.

Shakeel Ahmed also claimed Rahul Gandhi is "uncomfortable" about collaborating with popular, veteran leaders. He also alleged that Rahul Gandhi has a sense of superiority because of his Nehru-Gandhi lineage. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)