J&K: Huge setback for Congress as over 50 senior leaders quit party in support of Ghulam Nabi Azad
Ghulam Nabi Azad ended his five-decade association with the Congress, terming the party “comprehensively destroyed”.
Jammu and Kashmir: More than 50 senior Congress leaders, including former Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister Tara Chand, resigned from the party in support of Ghulam Nabi Azad on Tuesday.
They submitted a joint resignation letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Chand and several others, including former ministers Abdul Majid Wani, Manohar Lal Sharma, Gharu Ram and former MLA Balwan Singh, announced their resignations from their party, including its primary membership, at a press conference.
"We have submitted a joint resignation letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi in support of Azad," Balwan Singh said.
Azad, 73, a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, ended his five-decade association with the Congress on Friday, terming the party “comprehensively destroyed” and lashing out at Rahul Gandhi for “demolishing” its entire consultative mechanism.
He will soon launch a national-level party from Jammu and Kashmir.
Supporters of Ghulam Nabi Azad hold meeting in Jammu
On Monday, several leaders and activists, who resigned from the Congress following in Ghulam Nabi Azad's footsteps, met under former Jammu and Kashmir minister GM Saroori's leadership to ramp up support for the senior leader in his next endeavour.
Former legislators Haji Abdul Rashid, Mohammad Amin Bhat, Gulzar Ahmad Wani and Choudhary Mohd Akram were present in the meeting, which saw several new faces including former advocate general Mohammad Aslam Goni joining the Azad camp.
Meanwhile, Azad is scheduled to reach Jammu on September 4. He has announced floating a new party beginning with Jammu and Kashmir where assembly polls are due.
Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina said his party is capable of winning the next assembly elections on its own strength.
"Azad's resignation exposed Congress leadership, what he is going to do next is his own decision. If he has decided to float his own party, nobody can stop him,” he said.
(With inputs from PTI)
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