The Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee's decision to disown former chairman of the Scheduled Caste (SC) Department, Karan Bhagat, has snowballed into a major controversy within the faction-ridden party. AICC Scheduled Caste Department Incharge, Teena Choudhary, has stated that she will take up the matter with the party high command.
Choudhary, who chaired Thursday's programme in Jammu, announced that she would file a formal complaint against the Union Territory Congress leadership for allegedly declaring her department's official programme "illegal."
She expressed strong resentment over a statement issued from the official email ID of the J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC), in which the SC Department's event was reportedly described as unauthorized. Calling the move "unwarranted and defamatory," she said the UT leadership had "no authority" to question an event conducted under the mandate of the AICC SC Department.
"It is very unfortunate that the incumbent leadership of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee has dubbed our official function as illegal," Choudhary told International Business Times.
"Thursday's programme was organized as per the directions of the high command to strengthen the organization in different parts of the country," she said, adding, "As the AICC incharge of the SC Department of the J&K Congress, we organised a function on Thursday."
Referring to the J&K Congress' controversial decision to disown the former SC Department chairman, Karan Bhagat, she said the UT unit had no authority to take action against the head of any party cell.
"I will formally write a complaint to Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi regarding this misconduct," Choudhary said, adding that she would escalate the matter to the party high command. "Those who issued the official handout on Thursday will be brought to justice," she asserted.
She further alleged that certain vested interests within the J&K Congress were attempting to sabotage the functioning of the SC Cell for internal political gains, deepening existing fissures within the party unit.
The controversy intensified after the JKPCC, in an official communication on Thursday, publicly disowned SC Department chairperson Karan Bhagat for organising the programme attended by CWC member Vikar Rasool Wani and Teena Choudhary.
In its statement, the JKPCC said it had taken "strong exception" to Bhagat's "highly objectionable and unauthorised activities," adding that he stood disowned pending disciplinary action for "gross indiscipline, anti-party activities and levelling false, baseless and malicious allegations against the top leadership."
The party also claimed that Bhagat's request for a ticket in the 2024 Assembly elections had been rejected by the AICC due to "serious complaints" about his conduct and reputation.
Expressing dismay over the participation of some leaders in the "unauthorised" event, the JKPCC said the post of SC Department chairman had become vacant following Bhagat's "open resignation" on social media—one which, according to the party, was accompanied by "motivated and concocted allegations aimed at tarnishing the organisation's image."
JKPCC working president Raman Bhalla accused Bhagat of misleading party workers into attending the event, alleging that he was "notorious for foul language and undesirable activities." Bhalla said the matter would be reported to the high command for action against those "encouraging indiscipline."
