Congress leaders head to ‘Apni Party’ citing ‘sad’ state of Jammu-Kashmir unit | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Congress leaders head to ‘Apni Party’ citing ‘sad’ state of Jammu-Kashmir unit

Hindustan Times, Jammu | By
Mar 07, 2020 04:18 PM IST

Former Congress leader from Jammu, Vikram Malhotra says the party didn’t have a full-fledged president at the national level to take on the Opposition and its inability to empower local leadership had also hurt its cause.

Highlights

Two more Congress leaders from Jammu quit the party

Leaders say Congress has become dysfunctional in Jammu and Kashmir

Several leaders from Congress and other J&K parties headed to the new outfit- ‘Apni Party’

Two more Congress leaders have quit party’s Jammu and Kashmir unit to join the new political outfit led by former PDP minister Syed Altaf Bukhari--Apni Party—to be launched in the union territory on Sunday.

Former minister and president of the Samba district Congress committee Sardar Manjit Singh and Jammu district Congress president Vikram Malhotra said they quit because the Congress had become virtually dysfunctional in the region.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

“Congress was not able to come out of the inertia for the past eight months. They were talking more about the National Conference. They were not talking about statehood, rights to jobs and land,” Manjit Singh said.

Vikram Malhotra echoed the sentiment: “Yes, I have also resigned from the Congress and will most likely join Apni Party on March 8. Congress had stopped functioning after the abrogation of Article 370 in August last year.”

Malhotra claimed the Congress party’s activities had ceased in the entire J&K.

“We were able to hold very little activity in Jammu district only,” he added.

Malhotra added that the Congress didn’t have a full-fledged president at the national level to take on the Opposition and the party’s inability to empower local leadership had also hurt its cause.

“The Congress high command didn’t give us regional leadership in Jammu, like what NC has done here. The Congress didn’t find any face despite the fact that we had a senior leader like Raman Bhalla, who could have been made regional leader to woo voters during elections but they didn’t do it,” Malhotra said.

Malhotra said that the realities in Jammu and Kashmir had changed after the abrogation of Article 370 and the issues of self-rule, autonomy, going back to pre-1953 status, had little meaning now.

“For the first time both Kashmir and Jammu regions, now, have the same issues of statehood, rights to jobs, lands, domicile etc,” he said.

Other Congress leaders including Aijaz Khan, Mumtaz Khan, Usman Majeed, Shoaib Lone, Hilal Shah are also likely to join Altaf Bukhari’s party.

“I am very much part of the third front. Likeminded people are coming together and I have nothing to hide. I joined Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari long ago. I formally resigned from the Congress around two and a half months ago. I have nothing to do with the Congress. I am not associated with Congress anymore,” said Shoaib Lone.

The former Bandipora legislator Usman Majeed had also recently resigned from the Congress to join Apni party along with nearly two dozen leaders.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Arvind Kejriwal News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    author-default-90x90

    A principal correspondent, Ravi Krishnan Khajuria is the bureau chief at Jammu. He covers politics, defence, crime, health and civic issues for Jammu city.

SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On