Former Union law minister and Kar­nataka governor Hansraj Bhardwaj is no stranger to controversies. But the Nehru-Gandhi family loyalist has taken everybody by surprise with his attack on Congressmen, for what he sees as their role in the party’s recent electoral debacles. In an interview with Mihir Srivastava, Bhardwaj says he is no longer a party man and takes down his former colleagues and compatriots. Excerpts:

You have been talking to the media about the dismal state of affairs that exists in the Congress, now that their chips are down.

Am I responsible for the Congress’s low ebb? My association with the Nehru-Gandhi family is longer, before many of these politicians were even born. I have accompanied Indiraji, Sanjay, Rajiv, Soniaji and Rahul when they filed their nominations. I associated with Indiraji during the Congress split in 1969 as a young lawyer who defended her in cases related to the split of the Congress. Rajiv Gandhi trusted me. ‘You are my legal guard,’ he...