Jammu: After dithering for over a month or so, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) leadership on Tuesday finally took a call to ‘sort out’ Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) yet within hours, the exercise seemed to hit a ‘roadblock.’
AICC this evening appointed the former minister and one of the most proactive leaders from Chenab sub-region of Jammu province Vikar Rasool Wani as new president of Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC).
It also announced the constitution of six committees including the JKPCC Campaign Committee and Political Affairs Committee (PAC), to be headed by the former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. However, within hours after the formal order in this connection was issued by AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal, reports mentioned that Azad resigned from the newly constituted JKPCC Campaign Committee.
The AICC order also mentioned that the former minister Raman Bhalla would continue to be JKPCC working president. Prior to it, the resignation of Ghulam Ahmed Mir as JKPCC president was accepted by the Congress president while “appreciating his service.”
Whether the veteran leader had thrown a spanner vis-a-vis AICC exercise or not, was still in the realm of speculation. Reason, the party or Azad officially did not issue any statement on that account till late evening.
J&K party leaders, themselves were in a spot of fix vis-a-vis the developments that were unfolding. Meanwhile, few other J&K leaders chose to spill beans to express their resentment against the appointment of Vikar Rasool, considered to be a trusted lieutenant of Azad, as new JKPCC president. Among them included former MLA Sopore Haji Abdul Rashid Dar, who announced to resign from the party to protest against Vikar’s appointment. Dar was made part of newly constituted Coordination Committee.
Earlier, Venugopal issued an official statement which said, “Congress President has accepted the resignation of Ghulam Ahmed Mir from the post of President, Jammu & Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee. The party appreciates his service.”
“Congress President has also appointed president and working president and approved the constitution of Campaign Committee, Political Affairs Committee, Coordination Committee, Manifesto Committee, Publicity & Publication Committee, Disciplinary Committee and Pradesh Election Committee of Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee, with immediate effect,” he said.
Campaign Committee comprised Ghulam Nabi Azad as chairman, Tariq Hamid Karra as vice chairman, G M Saroori (convenor), Ghulam Ahmed Mir, Tara Chand, Thakur Balwan Singh, T S Bajwa, Shabir Khan, Neeraj Kundan, Abdul Majeed Wani and Firoz Khan. PCC president and working president will be the permanent invitees.
Political Affairs Committee will also comprise Ghulam Nabi Azad, Tariq Hameed Karra (chairman), Ghulam Ahmed Mir, Saifuddin Soz, Peerzada Mohd Syed, Taj Mohiuddin, Tara Chand, Mula Ram, Khemlata Wakhlu. AICC in-charge, PCC president and working president will be the permanent invitees.
Coordination Committee will comprise Ghulam Ahmed Mir as its chairman, Dr Manohar Lal (vice chairman), Yogesh Sahni (convenor) Jugal Kishore Sharma, Bashir Ahmed Magrey, Raman Matoo, Indu Pawar, Mohammad Amin Bhat, Haji Abdul Rasheed Dar, Abdul Majeed Wani and Shahnawaz Chaudhary.
Manifesto Committee comprised Prof Saifuddin Soz (chairman), advocate M K Bharadwaj vice chairman, Ravinder Sharma (convenor), Naresh Gupta, Ghulam Nabi Monga, Zahida Khan, Shameema Raina, Jahangir Mir, Manzoor Ahmed Ghani, Dr Jahazaib Sariwal, Iftikhar Ahmed and Vikram Bhandari.
Publicity and Publication Committee will have Mula Ram (chairman), S S Channi vice chairman, Dr Rashid Chaudhary (convenor), Ashok Sharma, Vinod Mishra, Bashir Ahmed Khan, Imran Zafar, Satish Sharma and Uday Bhanu.