Another jolt to Congress: 5 J&K leaders quit after Ghulam Nabi Azad’s resignation
NEW DELHI, AUG 26: Five Jammu and Kashmir Congress leaders and ex-MLAs have quit the party in solidarity with Ghulam Nabi Azad who resigned earlier in the day, blaming Rahul Gandhi for destroying the consultative mechanism of the party.
Jammu and Kashmir Congress leaders Ghulam Mohammad Saroori, Haji Abdul Rashid , Mohammad Amin Bhatt, Gulzar Ahmad Wani, Chaudhary Akram Mohammad and Salman Nizami have resigned from primary membership of the party in support of Ghulam Nabi Azad.
Ghulam Nabi Azad resigned from the party on Friday ahead of organisational elections, accusing the leadership of committing “fraud” on the party in the name of “sham” internal polls.
Azad, who named Rahul Gandhi in his stinging letter, said a “remote control model” had demolished the institutional integrity of the Congress and alleged that decisions are taken by either Rahul Gandhi or even by security guards and PAs.
“All senior and experienced leaders were sidelined and the new coterie of inexperienced sycophants started running the affairs of the party,” he alleged.
The former Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha also brought up Rahul Gandhi tearing up a government ordinance in media glare during UPA rule and described it as one of the most glaring examples of immaturity.
“This childish behaviour completely subverted the authority of the prime minister and the Government of India. This one single action more than anything else contributed significantly to the defeat of the UPA government in 2014,” he said.
Speaking exclusively to India Today, the veteran politician said he will form his own party in his home state of Jammu and Kashmir.
“I will go to Jammu and Kashmir. I will form my own party in the state and will check on the national possibility later,” Ghulam Nabi Azad said.
Azad is the latest in a series of high-profile leaders who exited Congress. Earlier, the exit of Kapil Sibal and Ashwani Kumar had jolted the Congress.
Meanwhile, the Congress said the move was unfortunate and the timing awful, coming at a time the party is engaged in combating the BJP on issues of price rise and unemployment.
-PTI
