E-Paper
Rumblings in J&K Congress: Over a dozen Ghulam Nabi Azad loyalists resign from party posts
Ghulam Nabi Azad loyalists have sent their resignation letter to AICC president Sonia Gandhi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and incharge J&K affairs Rajni Patil
Yet again the internal fissures in the J&K Pradesh Congress have come to the fore as over a dozen leaders of the party, loyal to Ghulam Nabi Azad, have resigned from their respective posts.
They have sent their resignation letter to AICC president Sonia Gandhi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and incharge J&K affairs Rajni Patil.
Those who submitted the resignation are GM Saroori, Jugal Kishore Sharma, Vikar Rasool, Dr Manohar Lal Sharma, Ghulam Nabi Monga, Naresh Gupta, Subash Gupta, Amin Bhat, Anwar Bhat, Inayat Ali and others.
On the condition of anonymity, one of the leaders said, “The resignation was sent 10 days ago, but we have been saying it for the past two to three years that we are not being heard in the party. Therefore we resigned from the party posts, but not from the membership”.
“Undoubtedly, we are Azad loyalists but not the part of G-23. Moreover, it was not the first instance. At least 10 to 12 letters have been shot to the high command in the past three years telling it to save the JKPCC,” he added.
The leader said that majority of those in the JKPCC were not happy with the present leadership and want Ghulam Nabi Azad to rejuvenate Congress in J&K.
“Under GA Mir, over 200 leaders, including former minister, MLAs, MLCs and those on key posts have left the party in the past two to three years and joined other outfits,” he added.
The leader, however, denied that JKPCC was a divided house. “Party’s official working is not up to the mark and that’s the problem,” he said.
JKPCC president GA Mir, meanwhile, feigned ignorance to mass resignations of Azad loyalists from their party posts.
“By going to the press, they have violated the discipline and my view is that they will have to get ready to face the consequences,” said Mir.
A loyalist of Mir said, “If there was any grievance it should have been raised within the party. If they had sent their resignations to party high command then they should have waited for the reply. Why they went to the media?”
“Rahul Gandhi met all of them in Srinagar and Jammu and then to say that they are not being heard is ridiculous,” he said.
Mir loyalist claimed that they all were acting on the instructions of Azad. “Bypassing state president and writing to Sonia and Rahul is a violation of the discipline,” he added.
Former Congress MLC Naresh Gupta said, “We have tendered resignation from party posts but not from membership. We are the ones who worked for 30 to 40 years and under the leadership of Azad, Indira Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul raised the Congress in J&K.”
“We want that new faces should come in the Congress, but the leadership was adamant and we were not being heard. We wanted the party leadership to listen to us and see the reasons behind exit of multiple leaders,” he added.
Gupta said none of them was going to join the BJP. “Almost 90% leadership of the J&K Congress want the party to be reinvigorated,” he added.
