On Wednesday 17th August 2022, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad declined the post of chairman of the campaign committee and also from the political affairs committee of the Jammu and Kashmir state unit of the Congress. He has refused to accept the posts within hours of his appointment on those committees. It is notable that soon after the delimitation exercise, there will be assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to sources, Ghulam Nabi Azad was showing his dissatisfaction with the reconfiguration of the J&K Congress, which was declared on Tuesday evening after months of consideration. Raman Bhalla was named working president of the J&K Congress in the new unit, while Azad was named chairman of the campaign committee, with former PDP leader Tariq Hamid Karra as vice chairman of the campaigning committee. Azad refused the offer hours after the appointments were made public.
According to reports, Azad resigned from both positions because he perceived the change as a downgrade. Azad is a member of the top committees in the party. However, news agency ANI reported that Azad has quit the posts due to health reasons. Quoting Congress sources, ANI tweeted, “Ghulam Nabi Azad has refused to assume the post of Campaign Committee President of J&K due to health reasons. He has conveyed this to the Congress leadership & has also thanked the leadership for giving him the responsibility: Congress Sources”
Ghulam Nabi Azad has refused to assume the post of Campaign Committee President of J&K due to health reasons. He has conveyed this to the Congress leadership & has also thanked the leadership for giving him the responsibility: Congress Sources
— ANI (@ANI) August 16, 2022
(file pic) pic.twitter.com/TRewjM07iG
Two more congressmen have resigned from newly constituted bodies. Gulzar Ahmed Wani and Haji Abdul Rashid Dar both the leaders are former MLAs and they have quit the committees. Gulzar Ahmed Wani said, “I have resigned from Congress coordination committee in J&K as a protest against the recent appointment of PCC chief in UT. The decision isn’t in favor of the party.”
I have resigned from Congress coordination committee in J&K as a protest against recent appointment of PCC chief in UT. The decision isn’t in favour of the party: Former Cong MLA Gulzar Ahmad Wani
— ANI (@ANI) August 16, 2022
Haji Abdul Rashid Dar said, “We’re unhappy as senior leaders weren’t consulted before taking the decision on J&K PCC chief. We’ve resigned from the party’s coordination committee as a protest against the recent announcements of the PCC chief. I’ve resigned from Congress’ primary membership.”
We’re unhappy as senior leaders weren’t consulted before taking decision on J&K PCC chief.We’ve resigned from party’s coordination committee as protest against recent announcements of PCC chief. I’ve resigned from Congress’ primary membership:Congress ex-MLA Haji Abdul Rashid Dar
— ANI (@ANI) August 16, 2022
Congress sidelined Ghulam Nabi Azad in the past
Though Ghulam Nabi Azad has reportedly cited health issues as the reason for quitting this post, the Congress party has not been kind to him after he criticized party leadership and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Ghulam Nabi Azad is a well-known Congressman and a member of the G23 faction, which has been vocal in its criticism of the party’s leadership and calls for organizational reform. As a result, Congress did not re-nominate Azad, who retired from the Rajya Sabha last year. Ghulam Nabi Azad was also excluded from the party’s list of star campaigners in the assembly elections of Punjab in February 2022. Even before that, in November 2021, Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi dropped senior leader and former Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad from the panel of the newly constituted disciplinary committee of the party.
