Mir apprises Rahul of political developments in J&K
Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Mar 2: Amidst indication of rift in the party, two groups of Congress Party in J&K held protests against and in support of senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad today while the Congress president in J&K UT, Ghulam Ahmed Mir met the AICCC vice president, Rahul Gandhi in New Dehli this evening.
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Party sources said that JKPCC chief, along with AICC leader and Incharge J&K affairs of the party, Rajni Patil met Rahul Gandhi in presence of AICC general secretary (Incharge Organisation) KC Venugopal and apprised them of the recent political developments in Jammu and Kashmir, especially with regard to the programme of some G-23 leaders at Jammu and organizational affairs.
Mir updated Gandhi about the ongoing agitational programme and protests by Congress against the unprecedented price hike of petrol, diesel, LPG and other commodities and the decision to impose property tax and other taxes by Government in Jammu and Kashmir, which has over burdened and distressed the people.
Sources further added that JKPCC president further sought the guidelines from the party high command to strengthen the Congress Party and organizational structure at various levels in the Jammu and Kashmir.
Gandhi asked the JKPCC leadership to continue working for highlighting the “wrong doings and anti-people decisions” of the BJP Government in Jammu and Kashmir.
Mir when contacted said he along with Incharge J&K, Rajni Patil met AICC vice president Rahul Gandhi in presence of Venugopal (AICC general secretary) at New Delhi at around 4 pm today. He said the senior leaders were informed about the recent political developments in J&K and also other organizations affairs.
He said though issue of utterances of some senior (G-23) leaders during private function at Sainik Colony in Jammu on Saturday was also briefely discussed, yet the party high command did not give much importance to it. He said the top party leadership was closely watching the behaviour of some leaders.
The differences appeared cropping up within the party at Jammu today when a section of Congress workers burnt an effigy of senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and protested against him, while another group came out in support of Azad and staged protest against the people leading first protest at Press Club.
Congress workers, led by former general secretary of the party and District Development Council (DDC) member from Surankote in Poonch, Shahnawaz Choudhary, burnt Azad’s effigy outside the Press Club in the afternoon today and accused him of conspiring against the party at the behest of the BJP to weaken it for personal gains.
After some time, another group of Congress workers, led by JMC Councillor Gaurav Chopra, staged a protest against Choudhary and said a person who fought the recently held DDC polls against the party mandate, is not a Congressman and is working on the directions of the BJP and RSS to weaken the Congress Party.
It may be recalled that the protest against Azad came days after a rally addressed by some “G-23” leaders, to felicitate the former J&K Chief Minister on his retirement from the Rajya Sabha.
Raising slogans in support of Azad, Chopra said, “Azad is a Congressman by heart and does not need a certificate from anyone. He said Azad raised J&K issues in Parliament to disapprove the August 5, 2019 development and his long innings in the service of the nation drew praises even from the Prime Minister.”
Chopra said the G-23 leaders, who spoke at a private function here on Saturday, called for strengthening of the party.
Earlier, the Choudhary-led group shouted slogans against Azad and demanded his ouster from the party. “The Congress has always put Azad on the top and when the party needed his experience at a time of crisis, he came to Jammu and Kashmir and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who deprived J&K people of Statehood. It shows he is working at the behest of the BJP to weaken the party,” Shahnawaz told media-persons.
Choudhary said Azad stayed away from the DDC poll campaigning and invited a select group of G-23 leaders to a function organised by the Gandhi Global Family, which is headed by himself.
Chief spokesperson of the JKPCC, Ravinder Sharma when contacted said the party had no prior information about two protests in the city. He said though Shahnawaz had contested DDC elections against the party mandate in Surankote but he has not been removed from the party. He had been served notice and the matter was pending before the party leadership.
“The statements of some leaders at a private function were not in good taste but we should leave the matter to the wisdom of the Central leadership. We respect Azad and gave him a warm welcome at the airport before felicitating him at the party headquarters on his arrival here recently,” Sharma maintained.
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