Yogesh Sagotra
Jammu, Aug 19: The coronation of Vikar Rasool Wani as Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief seems to have not gone well within the Ghulam Nabi Azad group, as former Minister Ghulam Muhammad Saroori refused to assume the post of Convenor of the Campaign Committee of the party’s J&K unit.
Saroori, the senior leader who is also considered a loyalist of Ghulam Nabi Azad like newly appointed President Vikar Rasool Wani, refused to be part of any panel announced by All India Congress leadership.
However, both Rasool and Saroori belong to erstwhile Doda districts and remained to MLA for consecutive three terms from 2002 to 2018. Earlier both the Congress men fight to unseat the incumbent chief G A Mir and revolted in favour of Azad.
Sources said that Saroori, who was appointed as Convenor of the Campaign Committee with former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad as head got annoyed with the recent appointment. Sources close to Saroori said that the former minster was unhappy with high command over appointment of ‘junior’ as head of state unit.
Moreover, Saroori, Rasool, former Minister Prerzada Syed and Tariq Hameed Karra were shortlisted for the converted post but Vikar remain the fortunate.
“When the seniors are ignored and juniors are given responsibility, such things are bound to happen,” sources close to Saroori said.
Earlier, Azad did not agree to take charge as the Campaign Committee chairman. Moreover, three other loyalists of the former J&K CM also resigned from the committees to which they were appointed.
While former MLAs Gulzar Ahmed Wani and Choudhary Mohd Akram resigned from the Pradesh Election Committee, another ex-legislator Haji Abdul Rashid Dar quit as the primary member of the party.
Meanwhile, newly appointed JKPCC president Vikar Rasool said that he will try to unite all miffed leadership be establishing one to one contact.
“The developments in the party is result of our healthy inner democracy. There are many who might not happy but my priority is to meet everyone and unite them to make Congress party strong,” said Vikar Rasool
On being considered as junior by some leaders Vikar said that he is third generation Congress leaders, who won three elections in row and also servied in organization from district to national level.
“My father was an MLC, my uncle was Congress leader I am third generation Congress men with 24 years of organizational experience from district level to national level,” he said.
On resentment among Azad and other leaders, Vikar said “I am not reasons for Azad’s refusals take charge as Head of Election Campaign Committee”.
“Azad is Congress party’s senior leader and he took decision on his own, I am not reason behind it,” Vikar said.
Earlier, former JKPCC president Mir had resigned from his post in June. The party had held a series of meetings with the senior leaders in New Delhi to finalise the new team for J&K. Congress sources said that Mir, who remained the president of the J&K Congress since 2015, was asked to quit to pave way for the new organisational set-up.
Wani, 46, was considered close and loyal to Azad, who holds sway in both the provinces of Jammu and Kashmir. Wani had also served as the minister of state.
Recently, the Congress had appointed senior leader Raman Bhalla from Jammu as its working president to keep a balance of power between the two regions of the UT.
