Party election a farce & sham, Rahul immature & coterie running the show: Azad

New Delhi: Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad has blasted Rahul Gandhi and his coterie for the dismal performance of the party and termed the entire organisational election process a "farce and a sham" as the party is going to decide for the schedule of internal elections.

"At no place anywhere in the country have elections been held at any level of the organisation. Handpicked lieutenants of the AICC have been coerced to sign on lists prepared by the coterie that runs the AICC sitting in 24 Akbar Road," he said.

Azad said in his letter that at no place in a booth, block, district or state was an electoral roll published, nominations invited, scrutinized, polling booths set up and elections held and the AICC leadership was squarely responsible for perpetrating a giant fraud on the party to perpetuate its hold on the ruins of what once was a national movement that fought for and attained the Independence of India.

"Does the Indian National Congress deserve this in the 75th year of India's Independence is a question that the AICC leadership must ask itself," he said

"While undoubtedly as the President of the Indian National Congress you played a sterling role in the formation of both the UPA -1 and UPA-2 governments. However, one of the major reasons for this success was that as President you heeded the wise counsel of senior leaders, besides trusting their judgment and delegating powers to them," he said.

"However, unfortunately after the entry of Rahul Gandhi into politics and particularly after January 2013 when he was appointed as Vice President by you, the entire Consultative mechanism which existed earlier was demolished by him," he added and all senior and experienced leaders were sidelined and a new coterie of inexperienced sycophants started running the affairs of the party.