In Kashmir, leaders quitting to save future, in Jammu party men want a local to lead State Congress, no salary for office bearers since past two months
Srinagar, July 16 : Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) is facing a serious crisis after the BJP swept the recently held Lok Sabha polls in Jammu and also across the country with Jammu based party cadre demanding that the president be from their region while as in Kashmir, many party leaders decided to join other parties after foreseeing trouble for the party in upcoming assembly polls, Congress leaders disclosed.
They said that
after the harassment caused by the BJP’s clean sweep in Jammu and
Ladakh and NC’s victory in all three seats of Kashmir, Congress party in
Jammu and Kashmir was feeling isolated that gave birth to serious
rebellion within the party.
According to a senior Congress
leader, after the assessment report of votes cast in the recently
concluded Lok Sabha polls, the party witnessed strong rebellion with
many seniors becoming the target for not reaching out to the people in
their respective Assembly constituencies.
“So an internal assessment report of the party was so dismal and many leaders including some middle-rung leaders decided to quit and to join other parties like National Conference and BJP,” a party leader, said, wishing not to be named.
He said that despite serious efforts by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Rahul Gandhi, who himself lost in the Congress bastion of Amethi in Parliamentary polls, J&K unit of party has witnessed mass rebellion and that Rahul’s efforts to keep the flock together are not bearing fruit on the ground.
The problem has reached to an extent that Congress office bearers at its Srinagar and Jammu headquarters are without their monthly salaries since past two months as no funds have come from Delhi. “Yes, almost all the employees working at the Congress offices in Srinagar and Jammu are without salaries since past two months. This reflects the party’s position at present and that future can be well foreseen,” he said.
As per the senior Congress leader, Rahul has decided to depute senior leaders that include Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ambika Soni to Jammu and Kashmir to pacify the disgruntled leaders so that party remains in focus at least in the upcoming Assembly polls and managed to bag at least 15 to 20 seats so that it becomes inevitable for other parties to forge an alliance with it.
“However, the way things are shaping up in the party, party’s future seems to be very bleak. In its strong bastions that includes Chenab Valley in Jammu where BJP has cast its net and also in south Kashmir’s few districts, where NC, BJP and PDP are eying hard to gain seats, the party (Congress) is fast losing its image,” said a party leader, who has been with Congress since past 30 years.
In north Kashmir Congress represented constituencies that include Uri, Tangdhar, etc, there is a strong campaigning being done by the Peoples Conference led by Sajad Lone and the Congress has already feeling the heat.(KNO)
