J&k: 64 senior Congress leaders resign from Congress Party

As many as 64 senior Congress leaders, including former Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, resigned from the party in support of Ghulam Nabi Azad in Jammu on August 30, asserting that Mr. Azad’s vision will shape a new and bright future for Jammu and Kashmir.

They submitted a joint resignation letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Mr. Chand along with others, including former ministers Abdul Majid Wani, Manohar Lal Sharma, Gharu Ram and former MLA Balwan Singh, announced their resignations from the Congress, at a press conference.

Mr. Azad, 73, former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, endedhisfive–decadeassociation with the Congress on Friday, terming the party “comprehensively destroyed” and lashing out at Rahul Gandhi for “demolishing” its entire consultative mechanism.

“Owing to the circumstances and the leadership crisis in Congress party, where a coterie surrounding party high command is calling shots in the most irresponsible manner and ruining the party.

“All of us had a very long association with the party spanning over decades and devoted all our energy and resources towards expanding the party in Jammu and Kashmir but unfortunately we found that the treatment meted out to us was humiliating,” Mr. Singh said, reading out from the joint resignation letter signed by 64 leaders and senior functionaries from across Jammu Province.

The letter further said, “With our leader and mentor Ghulam Nabi Azad having resigned from the party on the issue listed by him in a letter to you , we believe that we should also come out of Congress to make some worthwhile contribution in building a positive political society where people are heard and responded too.”