Many party leaders, Sarpanchs resign
Gopal Sharma
JAMMU/SRINAGAR, Aug 28: Senior Congress leader and former Minister Taj Mohiuddin today resigned from the basic membership of the party while four more former Ministers and several former Legislators, Local Bodies Councilors/ Corporators, party leaders and Sarpanchs are likely to resign from Congress and join Ghulam Nabi Azad group within a day or two.
In a large function held at Jammu today under the leadership of former Minister GM Saroori and senior leader Haji Abdul Rashid, several Congress leaders including Aslam Goni, former JMC Mayor Narinder Singh Raju, Corporators Gaurab Chopra, Sobat Ali and many other DCC/BCC functionaries besides Sarpanchs/ Panchs announced mass support to Azad declaring that they have left Congress to join new party being floated by Azad.
In Srinagar, Taj Mohiuddin after declaring his decision to quit Congress party told media-persons that a group of leaders led by Ghulam Nabi Azad has nothing to do with BJP. “The day I will come to know about any relation between the party and BJP, with full responsibility I am telling you that I will leave the party,” he said.
Taj said that Azad may have personal friends in the BJP but that doesn’t mean he has political ties with them.
“Even the rumours are being spread that Azad have contact with BJP. Believe me, its totally baseless,” he said, adding that he will never join hands with a non-secular party. If Azad has done some favour to Modi Sahib that is why he has praised Azad. Personal relations and politics are two separate things,” he added.
Taj said that if it is matter of alliance, we will go with NC not BJP. We will never go with the BJP. “If need arises we would go with NC or PDP. We have made it clear that we will never go with BJP,” he said.
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He said that the relations and politics are two separate things. “We have nothing to do with BJP. We have friendly relations with the former MLAs or leaders of the Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP. They meet and hug us. But friendship and politics are two different things,” he added.
Responding to allegations of Altaf Bukhari that GN Azad maintained tactic silence on the Abrogation of Article 370, he said: “Azad was only man who raised outcry in Parliament when Article 370 was abrogated”.
He said that almost everyone except a couple of leaders have been left with the JKPCC. “Nothing has remained with the Congress. All the leaders, MLAs or would be MLAs have walked away with Azad. Congress has been left with 2-3 winnable candidates now, maximum. It takes a party 20 years to develop an MLA,” he added.
Meanwhile, sources said that several senior leaders including former DyCM Tara Chand who were camping in Delhi for the last two days are returning here on Monday. At least four former Congress Ministers including Tara Chand, Abdul Majid Wani, Dr Manohar Lal Sharma and Ch Gharu Ram besides PCC general secretary and former MLA Marh, Th Balwan Singh are likely to declare their resignations to join Azad camp within a day or two.
Since Azad is arriving Jammu on September 4, his loyalists have started preparations for a grand function here wherein, a large number of more Congress leaders/ former public representatives, Local Bodies members, Sarpanchs, district and block level functionaries are likely to join Azad group. Azad is likely to float national level party from Jammu shortly.
Saroori when contacted said that in today’s function at Sainik Colony in Jammu about 300 Congress leaders, many Corporators/ Councilors of Local Bodies, Sarpanchs/ Panchs and other functionaries declared to offer support to Azad and quit Congress party. He said in a grand function on arrival of Azad on September 4, many more Congress leaders and workers would join en-mass. He said in Kishtwar also scores of party leaders and workers held large meeting today and declared support to Azad.
Reports from Poonch said that a big jolt to Congress at Surankote was witnessed as hundreds of supporters of ex-MLA Surankote Ch Mohd Akram joined in larger number to show their support to Azad.
Block president of Congress from Bufliaz, Surankote and Lassana have resigned from their posts and offered their support to Azad. Sarpanchs from 43 Panchayats, hundreds of Panchs, Members & BDC Block Surankote Nazir Hussain also joined in support of Ch Mohd Akram.
Saleem Choudhary, J&K secretary and former National delegate NSUI, Farooq Ahmed, district vice president Poonch, Waseem Farhad, district general secretary Poonch and Farooq Choudhary, Assembly vice president Surankote have also resigned from their respective positions and stood in support with Ch Mohd Akram. Supporters including the senior citizens, members from Civil society and Youth members of Ch Mohd Akram who are working on grassroots level while speaking on the occasion made sure to stand in very thick and thin with their leader.
Meanwhile, Youth Congress general secretary Nimrandeep Singh Bhullar along with Ranjit Chopra, general secretary; Brinder Pratap Singh Bhatyal, secretary PYC; Youth Congress District president Samba, Sushil Bhagat and Youth Congress Assembly president Sumit Kumar Bhagat resigned from the Congress party and its basic membership here.
While addressing media persons here today, Bhullar said that he along with others have submitted their resignation in support of their leader and political mentor ex-CM of Jammu and Kashmir, Ghulam Nabi Azad.
He said that today the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory direly needs a determined and decisive leader like Ghulam Nabi Azad to lead them towards safe, secure and a better future which the Congress has miserably failed to do due to its internal dynastic dictatorship and bickering besides wiping out the internal democracy from the party.
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