Graft chorus against J&K Congress chief grows

NEW DELHI: The chorus of corruption against the Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief is growing. Senior leaders in the party believe that the leadership should get replaced as soon as possible, otherwise, it may affect the party’s image as there are plenty allegations against Vikar Rasool Wani.
Moreover, as some leaders suggest, ex-ministers Tara Chand and Manohar Lal, and ex legislator Balwan Singh, who had left the Congress to join Democratic Azad Party, were again in talks with the Congress. However, Ghulam Nabi Azad, DAP chief, had come to know about it and immediately expelled the leaders. Sources close to the expelled leaders say that they would have joined the Congress, but the corruption accusations against Wani are hampering them, as they know it would impact their electoral prospects in the Jammu region.
Former Congress leader and Democratic Azad Party chief Azad had recently said that when he was the J&K chief minister, he had informed then Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about the links of some leaders with terrorists.
Moreover, senior leaders who have worked for the party are also not happy with the distribution of responsibilities and thus are sulking from the top leadership. The thrust coming from senior leaders within the party, according to a source, is because the organisational strength of the party is declining by the day. In addition to that, two ex-ministers and ex-legislators, Tara Chand, Manohar Lal and Balwan Singh, were expelled from the Democratic Azad Party recently. Sources close to them suggest they would have wanted to move to Congress, but the corruption allegations on the party’s chief has hampered them from coming back to the party.
A source said, “They will wait and watch for now as their image will get tarnished amid corruption charges against Wani.”
The senior leader added, “The Assembly elections could happen next year and it would happen after a long gap of four years. This is the time for us to prepare and get started by giving efficient people responsibility to hold the levers of power within the organisation so that they can start building the party. But seldom is that happening, we are going backward.”
The senior Congress leader said, “The remaining prominent leaders in the party are waiting for the Bharat Jodo Yatra to end and that is the reason they are not nudging the issue much.”
JKPCC chief Vikar Rasool Vani, while addressing a public gathering, recently said that “workers of Congress are epitome of sacrifice and selfless service who have withstood all challenges and proven their loyalty towards people, party and its leadership”. He added: “There have been conspiracies against us in the past and it still is continuing as political parties are being created in every nook and corner of the erstwhile state to divide us.”
After a party convention in Kulgam district of south Kashmir, Wani told reporters, “If there were people in his cabinet who were involved in militancy, his MLAs were involved, why did he not take action against them? It means he (Azad) compromised on national security and such a person does not deserve an (Padma) award.”