In the wake of Ghulam Nabi Azad's strident criticism of the Congress, party veteran Saifuddin Soz on Tuesday said Azad cannot convince the people that he was justified in his "extreme act of disloyalty" to the party.

Azad is seen moving closer to the BJP to cause division of votes when elections take place, he said.

Coinciding with the launch of his autobiography, Azad has been giving a series of interviews, slamming the Congress leadership and the party.

In an interview with Malayalam News channel Asianet News, Azad, referring to the Gandhi family, said, "The entire family has associations with businessmen, including him (Rahul). I can give you 10 examples of where he would go even outside the country to meet people who are undesirable businessmen." Hitting back at Azad, the Congress has said that with every passing day, Azad falls to new depths to demonstrate his "true character" and his loyalty to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In a statement, Soz, a Congress veteran from Kashmir, said he feels sad about Azad showing himself in poor light at the fag end of his political career.

"The feeling is widespread that Mr. Gulam Nabi Azad deserted the Congress party, at last, which had bestowed upon him so many honours, all through his career. The general run of people, especially the people in Jammu and Kashmir, assert the fact that Mr. Azad cannot convince the people that he was justified for this extreme act of disloyalty to the Congress," Soz said.

The other public reaction is that Azad is seen moving closer to the BJP and his participation in electoral politics will cause division of votes, particularly in Jammu province, which will result in indirect support to the BJP, the former Union minister said. "This seems to be an organized effort." Soz said ultimately the Congress will not suffer any setback as the people think that Azad's action constitutes "extreme disloyalty" to the party which had accorded dignified positions to him all through his political career.

"People also feel that Mr. Azad's action against the Congress has come at a time when the party is leading the campaign against fascist forces in India," he said.

The common people's feeling is that Azad's political stature has received a "setback" which can never be repaired, Soz said.

Azad will soon start feeling the affects of social and political wilderness of "unimaginable proportions", he said.

After quitting the Congress, Azad formed his Democratic Progressive Azad Party.

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