Within minutes after the former leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad resigned from primary members of the party, the Jammu and Kashmir Congress witnessed a spree of resignations as loyalists of Azad started submitting their resignations from the party.
These leaders submitted their resignations to express their loyalties to Ghulam Nabi Azad who served the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir as Chief Minister from 2005 to 2008 during the Congress-PDP coalition regime.
"We are soldiers of Ghulam Nabi Azad. He is the only leader who is capable to take all sections of the society and all regions and sub-regions of J&K with him", Mohammad Amin Bhat, former legislator, who was among the first to resign from Congress, told The International Bussiness Times.
"I along with four other legislators have resigned from the primary membership of the party", Bhat said.
Mohammad Amin Bhat along with veteran leader and former minister Ghulam Mohammad Saroori, Choudhary Mohammad Akram, Gulzar Ahmad, and Abdur Rashid Dar ( all former MLAs) submitted their resignations.
Two former ministers Jugal Kishore Sharma and Rajinder Singh Chib along with ex-legislator Naresh Gupta have submitted their resignations.
While Bhat, Gulzar, and Dar belong to Kashmir Valley, Saroori is a mass base leader from the mountainous belt of the erstwhile Doda district. He is a two-time MLA from the Inderwal assembly constituency of Kishtwar district. He was a cabinet minister in the NC-Congress coalition regime.
Choudhary Mohammad Akram is the Gujjar face of the party. Son of former Congress president late Choudhary Mohammad Aslam, Akram was MLA from Surankote assembly segment of Poonch district.
Former Minister and ex-MLA from Reasi assembly constituency, Jugal Kishore Sharma has also announced submitting his resignation from the primary membership of the party in support of Ghulam Nabi Azad.
A staunch supporter of Azad, Jugal Kishore Sharma will formally submit his resignation to the Congress high command on Saturday.
Former Minister R S Chib submits his resignation separately.
Rajinder Singh Chib submitted his resignation from the primary membership of the party separately but in support of Ghulam Nabi Azad.
"Over the years as a member of the Congress Party, it has been my sincere endeavour to work for the betterment of my State - Jammu & Kashmir. I feel that in the prevailing circumstances Congress Party has lost its momentum in contributing towards the future of my State," Chib, a close confidant of Azad said in the letter to party present Sonia Gandhi.
"Keeping in view the turmoil that the State of J&K has witnessed over the past decades, the people require a decisive leader like Jb. Ghulam Nabi Azad to guide them towards a better future. I feel that the Congress Party has not been able to play the role that is expected of it," reads the letter, shared by the media.
"I firmly believe that there is a growing divergence between my views and the views of those at the helm of the Party affairs. In light of the same, I feel that the best course of action would be for me to part ways with your Party," he said, adding, "Accordingly, I am tendering my resignation from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress."
Azad should have stayed in Cong: Soz
Veteran politician and former president of J&K Congress Prof. Saifuddin Soz said that Ghulam Nabi Azad should have stayed in Congress.
"Every leader has his or her style of functioning. Rahul Gandhi has his own style of working but seasoned leader like Ghulam Nabi Azad is capable to convince Rahul to sort out issues," he said and hastened to add that instead of solving issues within the party, Azad has decided to resign.
"Ghulam Nabi Azad will not get the respect and honour which he was getting in the Congress", Soz said.
