Ghulam Nabi Azad's 'refusal' due to health reasons, says Congress; 'Was dissatisfied': J&K leader

Ghulam Nabi Azad was made the chairman of the J&K election campaign committee by Sonia Gandhi, but he refused the post. The party said it was due to his health issues.

Published on: Aug 17, 2022, 06:04:54 IST

By HT News Desk | Written by Poulomi Ghosh

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As senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad resigned from the post of the party's campaign committee chairman only hours after he was appointed the chairman, Congress sources said he refused to assume the post owing to health reasons, though the move signalled internal strife in the J&K unit of the party. Ghulam Nabi Azad thanked the party leadership for giving him the responsibility and conveyed that he would not be able to take the post because of health reasons, news agency ANI reported citing sources.

Ghulam Nabi Azad refused the post of the Congress's campaign committee chairman in J&K.

On Tuesday, the Congress appointed Vikar Rasool Wani as the party's J&K unit president and Raman Bhalla as the working president. Wani will be replacing Ghulam Ahmed Mir who resigned from the post in July. The resignation was expected to end the internal dispute between the different camps, but the reshuffle only made the cracks more visible.

Congress leader Ashwani Handa said Ghulam Nabi Azad resigned from the post as he was not satisfied with the newly constituted campaign committee which, he alleged, ignored the aspirations of the party's grassroots workers in J&K. Congress ex-MLA Haji Abdul Rashid Dar said senior leaders were not consulted before the appointment of the party chief in J&K. "We have resigned from party's coordination committee as a protest against recent announcements of PCC chief. I have resigned from Congress' primary membership," Congress ex-MLA Haji Abdul Rashid Dar said.

Ashwani Handa said the right message is not reaching the party High Command and if this continues, then more resignations will come its way. “Everyone feeling neglected, feel their contributions to the party dismissed and those who oblige and are closer to High Command get promoted,” he said to ANI.

Ghulam Nabi Azad, one of the prominent leaders of the dissident group which was nicknamed G-23, was absent from party activities for a long time until he attended a crucial meeting in July. He also participated in a press conference of the party over ED's summons to Sonia Gandhi in the National Herald case.

J&K will go to the poll soon after the finalisation of electoral rolls and the completion of the delimitation exercise.

(With agency inputs)

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