Rahul Gandhi is killing the Congress Party, says Qazi in interview.
By Sujeet Rajan
NEW YORK: It’s evident that the Vice President of the Indian National Congress party Rahul Gandhi’s personal visit to a very private and hush hush conference in Aspen, Colorado, has done more harm to the party and its leaders’ image, than any good.
Juned Qazi, a businessman based in the New York City area, and former president of the Indian National Overseas Congress, USA – who quit his position in disgust after Gandhi refused to meet him for a few minutes while on his way to and fro from New York to Aspen –  has come out swinging against Gandhi.
Qazi, in an interview to The America Bazaar, said that Gandhi has proved with his conduct that he is “not fit to lead the party.â€
“He is not fit to lead the party with his lack of respect and courtesy for party members, and his useless trip to Aspen,†said Qazi.
“When you work so hard for the (Congress) party, and he (Rahul Gandhi) doesn’t give you some time and encouragement, instead utilizing his time in Aspen, for not a very usable or fruitful meeting, it shows that he lacks motivation. He also showed he doesn’t have respect and courtesy for the party and the people who work for the party,†said Qazi.
Qazi, based in Morganville, New Jersey, is the President of a construction management company, NYCTech Construction Corp.
Qazi questions the reasons for Rahul Gandhi to attend the Aspen meet, pointing out that it’s apparent that he doesn’t seem to have spoken to the audience but instead was part of the audience, listening to other speakers.
“Just sitting there in Aspen sitting to lectures?! Is that a leader?!†questions Qazi. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is always giving time to people, in India or here. All the headlines are going crazy about him. People just want a glimpse of him. So, why not our leader Rahul Gandhi? He should be sitting in Bihar in the first place for the coming elections, but instead he shows up here in the US, and what does he do?â€
Qazi added: “Rahul Gandhi is going crazy. He is listening to some speaker in Aspen – going by the photos released by the party – like a teenager, like a child. Shame on him! Especially when you have the Bihar elections. He is killing the Congress party in India.â€
Last year, in September, when Congress MP and former union minister Shashi Tharoor had come to New York, he had addressed a gathering of party supporters organized by Qazi. A few days ago, Qazi and his team had organized a reception for Congress MP Kodikunnil Suresh, in New York.
Asked if it was perhaps protocol that had forced Gandhi to not meet him, as Qazi was leading a faction of the officially recognized Indian National Overseas Congress unit headed by Lavika Bhagat Singh, Qazi said leaders like Gandhi should be more mindful of the work being done by the party workers here, to foster closer Indo-US ties, and promote party ideology in the Indian Diaspora and to American politicians.
“I don’t care about the division of the party, all I know is that we are all working hard for the Congress party. And when Rahul Gandhi comes here he should have made it a point to meet us,†said Qazi.
Qazi is also perturbed by the fact that when his services were needed by the party they utilized him, but now fail to even acknowledge him.
Related Story:Â Rahul Gandhi reaches New York from Aspen, planning 4-city tour of US in 2016
“Last year, I made a helipad for Rahul Gandhi in Aligarh. I spent Rs. 35 lakh on that, my own money. Now this guy doesn’t even have the courtesy to see me despite my request, in New York. He met other people at the airport in New York, but has no time for me. I’m upset with Karan Singh (senior Congress party member) too, who has ignored us,†said Qazi.
Qazi said that during his time as president of the INOC, USA, 14 executive members were added, with 9 chapters added to the party operations, to promote investment in various states of India. The chapters are: Madhya Pradesh (Qazi’s home state), Gujarat, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Assam, Punjab, Rajasthan and Chhatisgarh. He said some 350 individuals are listed as supporters of the INOC, USA.
Qazi has also founded the Madhya Pradesh Association of America, and the Indian Contractors Association of America. On visits to India, he has campaigned for the Congress party, and works for tribal welfare and development in Madhya Pradesh.
INOC, USA has announced that Mohinder Singh Gilzian will take over as interim president, in the wake of Qazi’s resignation.
Gandhi had met 9 individuals in New York, when he arrived on a British Airways flight on September 23rd. However, despite having a full day in New York, on September 28th, he didn’t meet any of the INOC party workers, including from the officially recognized unit.
Rajender Dichpally, the General Secretary of the officially recognized Indian National Overseas Congress, and who works as a Senior Reports/ Database Developer at AMBAC Assurance UK Ltd., in the New York City tristate area, said in an interview to the Bazaar, that despite requests, Gandhi could not meet him, or other party workers on September 28 in the evening, before he left for India.
“We are planning a 4-city trip for Rahul Gandhi sometime next year,†said Dichpally, who said he doesn’t know the reason why Gandhi was not able to meet him and some other party members of the INOC.
Asked if he knew Gandhi had addressed the audience in Aspen or just sat through listening for the four days he spent there, or the amount of time he spent at the Aspen conference, Dichpally said he had come to know that Gandhi attended two roundtable meets.
Rick Carroll, Managing Editor of the local newspaper in Aspen, Colorado, Aspen Times, in a phone conversation with this reporter informed that the organizers of the private Aspen conference had not got back to their request for more information on the conference.
Asked if he knew what Gandhi did at the conference, Carroll said that he himself came to know of some of the dignitaries who attended when he saw the tweets posted by the Congress Party, of Gandhi at the meet, posing with some personalities.
(Sujeet Rajan is Editor-in-Chief, The American Bazaar).
2 Comments
PAPPO ALIAS is the original circus monkey – he is the POPE OF FOOLS & BUFFOONS and absolutely in the super idot category .Is the perpetual winner of the NOBEL PRIZE for STUPIDITY BUFFOONERY & IDIOCY. THIS CRETIN has no credentials no background except being from a family who made embezzling public funds into a very fine art forms.
Unfortunately because of his family name and the culture of sycophancy and blatant worship he survives .Were he to earn a honest living he would starve as he is unfit for a tea boy job.
He was carrying suitcases of currency over 1000000 USD and was arrested by the
Border Policy in USA He uses his offices to carry drugs all across the world and channelize his family ill gotten wealth to safer havens.
he is a one man standalone circus .. he is a wimp and has a dedicated website to cover his monkey antics – http://pappugandhi.com/
Poor fellow, he wanted to escape from electioneering in Bihar to avoid being blamed for defeat of congress which is a foregone conclusion. Histoey shows that congress lost wherever he campaigned!!!