Ex-law minister HR Bhardwaj speaks out; Rahul Gandhi is his target once again

The former Karnataka governor had said in 2015 that the Congress party was too weak to counter the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre and that they were “out of touch with the ground reality”.

Sidelined Congress leader and former law minister HR Bhardwaj on said on Thursday party president Rahul Gandhi has to learn a lot and will become a leader only when the people accept him.

“I don’t consider Rahul Gandhi a leader yet. He’ll understand when he gets a post,” Bhardwaj said in an interview to news agency ANI.

“Whatever he does in the name of religion, is always wrong …. Congress fails because it indulges in the politics of religion. Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and even I was here. But we never did politics in the name of religion ...” the senior leader said when asked whether the Congress party is trying to counter the BJP by wading into the same territory.

This is not the first time Bhardwaj has been critical of his party and Gandhi.

The former Karnataka governor had said in 2015 that the Congress party was too weak to counter the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre and that they were “out of touch with the ground reality”.

“Rahul is a young man. He has to lead the young people. But he is not in touch with the senior people, he doesn’t show any inclination. So he is also out of touch,” he had said in an interview to the Indian Express.

Bhardwaj’s stint as the 16th governor of Karnataka was marked by controversies as he tried to dismiss the party’s government twice when BS Yeddyurappa was the chief minister. He was accused by the BJP of corruption and of appointing tainted people as vice-chancellors of universities and approved the Congress’ MLC nominees for “extraneous considerations”.

When he made the second recommendation for imposition of President’s rule in May 2011, the BJP launched statewide protests demanding his sacking. He also gave the Lokayukta sanctions to prosecute a series of BJP MLAs and ministers who had been accused of corruption.

He has also criticised other senior leaders of the Congress party, including former Union minister P Chidambaram, in the past.