BJP's Jammu and Kashmir unit chief Ravinder Raina claimed on Friday that Ghulam Nabi Azad was forced to resign from the Congress as he was insulted and harassed in the party, which is a sunken ship now.

Azad resigned from all party positions on Friday ahead of the organisational polls, describing the Congress as "comprehensively destroyed" and accusing its leadership of committing "fraud" on the party in the name of "sham" internal elections.

"Azad's resignation shows there is no internal democracy in the Congress and it runs through a remote control. It also establishes the fact that the Congress only cares for one family and there is no space for other leaders," Raina told reporters here.

Stating that Azad "sweated blood" for decades while serving the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said, "He was forced to resign as he was insulted and humiliated in the party."

He further said the Congress was already a sinking ship and with Azad's resignation, it is a "sunken ship" now.

When Azad retired from the Rajya Sabha in February last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was overcome by emotions reminiscing about his close association with the former leader of opposition in the Upper House of Parliament.

Modi had said it would be difficult for anyone to fill the shoes of Azad as he cared not only about his political affiliation but also about the country and the House.