Sonia directs for individual meetings today
Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, July 11: Unable to finalize the name of new PCC chief owing to factionalism in J&K unit of Congress, the party high command, on the direction of AICC President Sonia Gandhi, has summoned senior Congress leaders from Jammu and Kashmir for a discussion over the issue.
Reliable sources told the Excelsior that a panel of the party high command, comprising AICC general secretary (organization) K C Venugopal, Ambika Soni, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Incharge J&K, Rajni Patil will meet the Congress leaders from Jammu and Kashmir at New Delhi tomorrow.
The incumbent PCC president Ghulam Ahmad Mir , who has already submitted his resignation, PCC Working President Raman Bhalla, former Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, Tariq Hamid Karra, Taj Mohi-ud-Din, Peerzada Mohd Sayeed, G M Saroori, Vikar Rasool, Ghulam Nabi Monga, Jugal Kishore Sharma, Ravinder Sharma, Manohar Lal and Balwan Singh have been invited for individual meetings with the party high command, sources said and hinted that AICC Vice-President Rahul Gandhi may also be present in these feedback meetings.
The high command panel for the meetings has been constituted on the direction of Sonia Gandhi, who is taking personal interest to ensure that the issue pertaining to Jammu Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief is resolved amicably for unity in the party ahead of forthcoming Assembly election in the Union Territory, which are likely to be held soon, sources added.
Pertinent to mention that despite resignation of G A Mir on July 5, the Congress high command has failed to appoint new PCC President owing to factionalism in J&K unit of the party with one major group having allegiance to former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and the other one loyal to G A Mir.
The Excelsior had exclusively reported that Vikar Rasool, a die-hard loyalist of Ghulam Nabi Azad, was front runner among the four probable names discussed by the party high command for the post of PCC President, during a high level meeting by K C Venugopal, Rajni Patil and G A Mir at New Delhi on July 4. However, groups of Congressmen in Jammu and Kashmir, including several office bearers, who are considered to be close to G A Mir, voiced their reservation over the probable names for new PCC chief.
These Congressmen forwarded representations to Sonia Gandhi conveying their reservations over replacing the PCC chief at the time when Jammu and Kashmir is in election mode and also expressed their resentment over considering the names of those persons for the post of PCC chief, who were allegedly disloyal to the party and had raised banner of revolt against the official team of Congress. Besides Vikar Rasool, names of Peerzada Sayeed, G M Saroori and G N Moga were under discussion for the new PCC President.
As the party failed to finalize any name for the new PCC chief even after submission of resignation by the incumbent G A Mir, sources said that AICC President Sonia Gandhi directed K C Venugopal to formulate a panel and meet the senior Congress leaders from Jammu and Kashmir for their feedback over the issue.
According to the sources, the high command panel will individually meet each Congress leader from J&K for 10 minutes and seek feedback on the party affairs in the Union Territory, particularly the appointment of new PCC President.
Earlier, names of 12 leaders from J&K were shortlisted for meeting with the high command panel and later three more names were added in the list, sources said and added that some of these leaders reached New Delhi today while others were on the way.
Sources said that the individual meetings between the high command panel and J&K leaders will be held tomorrow from 10.30 am onwards and likely to continue till late afternoon. Owing to Eid celebrations, a few leaders from Kashmir are likely to reach New Delhi tomorrow evening and meet the high command panel on Wednesday, sources added.
Though not confirmed, sources hint that AICC Vice-President Rahul Gandhi may also be present in these feedback meetings between the J&K leaders and the high command panel.
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