New Delhi: Amidst Congress’s allegations of Ghulam Nabi Azad inching towards the Bharatiya Janata Party, the J&K politician, who quit the Congress days ago, launched a fresh attack on his party’s leadership and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had displayed humanity.The Congress, meanwhile, slammed Azad for his latest attack on its top leadership, saying he has been tasked to “slander” the party and by doing so he diminishes himself further.After Azad quit the Congress, the party had alleged that he was “Modi-fied”. Several leaders attacked him citing Modi’s speech in Rajya Sabha in February last year, in which a teary-eyed Modi had praised Azad as a “true friend”.Modi had recalled the 2007 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir on a bus carrying people from his home state of Gujarat when he was the chief minister. In parliament, he had recalled his interaction with Azad, who was then the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir.Speaking to reporters, Azad said Modi’s emotional speech at his retirement was given a different twist by some “illiterate” Congressmen and their emotions expressed in the House were about the tragedy and not for each other.“I assumed that Modi sahab was a crude man as he did not have children or his own family… and would not care but at least he has shown humanity,” he said.“When the chief minister of Gujarat called, I was crying loudly. He heard me crying and he was told that I cannot talk right now and have to treat those who are injured…When I talked to the chief minister to ask for two planes, one for the dead and the other for the injured and I again cried… he (Modi) turned emotional while referring to my state,” Azad said.Taking a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, he said it was Rahul who hugged Modi in Parliament not him.He also appeared to take on Congress allegations on his ‘understanding’ with BJP.Also read: Will Ghulam Nabi Azad’s New Party Only End Up Fragmenting Anti-BJP Vote in Jammu?“The BJP cannot help me in politics in Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP has a separate constituency. Those spreading such misinformation are playing into the BJP’s hands and this is Congress propaganda against me,” he claimed.Deccan Herald had quoted Azad as having called rumours of him joining BJP, a “stupid idea”.“How can a Kashmiri join BJP? I felt disgusted. This party I have been a part of since my college days,” he said. “I will never join BJP. I will form my own party,” he said.‘Indiscriminate interviews’Hitting back at Azad for his criticism, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, “After such a long career, courtesy entirely the party he’s been tasked to slander, by giving interviews indiscriminately, Mr. Azad diminishes himself further.”“What’s he afraid of that he’s justifying his treachery every minute? He can be easily exposed but why stoop to his level?” he said on Twitter on Monday.आज़ाद वर्षों तक जिस पार्टी में रहे। जहां उन्हें सब कुछ मिला। उन्हें उसी पार्टी को बदनाम करने का काम सौंपा गया है। यह उनके स्तर को और गिरा रहा है।आखिर क्यों हर मिनट वह अपने विश्वासघात को सही ठहरा रहे हैं? उन्हें आसानी से बेनकाब किया जा सकता है, लेकिन हम अपना स्तर क्यों गिराएं ?— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) August 29, 2022There is some dubious “source-based” plantation going on that questions were raised in the CWC meeting today on the Congress President's election process & schedule. This is to make absolutely clear that NOBODY raised any question or any doubt.— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) August 28, 2022Ramesh had been among Congress leaders to allege that Azad was looking towards BJP, tweeting “GNA’s DNA has been ‘Modi-fied’,” soon after he quit.In an interview to NDTV, Azad hit out at Ramesh and said, “Earlier he used to plant stories against the government, against the opposition leaders. Now, he is planting stories against me. So many dirty stories. He is 24×7 doing all these planting of stories. He is very famous for planting stories, then and now. His job is this. That’s why he has been made the media head.”G-23Asked by reporters about Congress’ criticism, Azad said Modi is merely an excuse and they were riled ever since he and 22 other Congress leaders wrote to Sonia Gandhi in August 2020, challenging their way of functioning.He was referring to the letter sent by the G-23 dissident group seeking large-scale reforms in the party.Azad alleged that he has been “forced to leave my home” as they were not heard.“After that letter, there have been many meetings and we put forth our views before Sonia Gandhi but none of our suggestions were implemented,” he said.Azad said that he did not sleep for six days before and after writing the G-23 letter because “we gave blood for the party”.He said his respect for Sonia Gandhi is the same as it was 30 years ago and it is the same for Rahul Gandhi as he belongs to the family of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.‘Ailing party’Azad also said the “ailing” party needs medicines which are being provided by compounders instead of doctors. He claimed its foundation has turned very weak and the organisation can fall anytime but the Congress leadership doesn’t have the time to set things right.“I can only give my best wishes to the Congress, but it needs medicines more than my wishes. And, these medicines are being provided by compounders instead of doctors and there is a need for specialists,” Azad told reporters.Azad also alleged that Rahul Gandhi does not have the aptitude or interest in politics.Asserting that he belonged to the Congress ideology and never wanted to quit the organisation with which he grew from his student days, Azad claimed that he was “forced out” of the party.(With PTI inputs)