Ghulam Nabi Azad Resigns as J&K Congress Committee Head Hours After Appointment

The veteran leader declined to assume the position reportedly citing his poor health.

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad.

(Photo: Facebook)

Hours after his appointment, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Tuesday, 16 August resigned from the key post of Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Congress campaign committee.

The veteran leader declined to assume the position citing his poor health, news agency ANI quoted sources as saying.

The 11-member panel was constituted with Azad as the chairman and Tariq Hamid Karra as vice chairman.

Three other senior leaders, namely Haji Abdul Rashid, Mohammad Amin Bhat and Gulzar Ahmed Wani, also resigned from the party's newly formed committees in Kashmir, The Indian Express reported.

The development on Tuesday also comes on the heels of party chief Sonia Gandhi replacing Azad's close aid, Ghulam Ahmed Mir, as the chief of the party's J&K unit.

Vikar Rasool Wani took on Mir's former role in the party, after Mir stepped down in protest against the appointment of the PCC chief in J-K.

"I have resigned from Congress coordination committee in J-K as a protest against the recent appointment of PCC chief in UT. The decision is not in favour of the party," he had said.

Reshuffle in J&K Congress

Congress also constituted the political affairs committee, coordination committee, manifesto committee, publicity and publication committee, disciplinary committee, and Pradesh election committee for Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday.

However, the reshuffle in the state unit has led to anger among many leaders, say reports.

Speaking to the media, Former Congress MLA Haji Abdul Rashid Dar said, "We are unhappy as senior leaders were not consulted before taking a decision on J-K PCC chief. We have resigned from the party's coordination committee as a protest against the recent announcements of the PCC chief. I have resigned from Congress' primary membership."

(With inputs from ANI and The Indian Express.)