Vikar Rasool Wani will find it hard to strike a balance and disentangle the party from the mess it finds itself in.
New Delhi: Though the Congress has announced Vikar Rasool Wani as its new chief in Jammu and Kashmir, party leaders believe that it will be an uphill task for the state unit chief to strike a balance and disentangle the party from the mess it finds itself in.
Apart from the former state unit chief, Ghulam Ahmad Mir’s detractors, who claim that the sole responsibility for the party’s ruin is his unproductive tenure, there are others who believe the organisational reshuffle with release of the new list has strengthened “loyalists” and side-lined the deserving, leaving the party in a crisis. If an inside story of a close aide of Azad is to be believed, a huge chunk of around 80% of members who got themselves in the committees were recommended by the former state unit president G.A. Mir. The move had subsequently infuriated Ghulam Nabi Azad, who answered the decision by stepping down from the membership of two key committees. However, sources said Azad did not show any intent early for not being a part of the committees.
Rajini Patel, Jammu and Kashmir Congress unit incharge, told The Sunday Guardian, “The committee is of Congress, it’s not a Mir committee, neither an Azad committee, the people who fought for the Congress and are on the ground, whether they belong to any group are made the members of committees.”
Sources privy to developments also claim that Azad’s discomfort was also triggered by the high command not choosing his top choice (G.M. Surroori) for the PCC chief on whom he had emphasised in the last meeting held over the appointment in the state. A senior Congress leader while denying all the claims said, “Azad gave a panel and Congress selected from that panel.”
The two names which preceded Vikar in the recommendation list were G.M. Surroori and G.N. Monga, according to sources. Vikar was also known to be the right-hand of Azad.
The party leaders said that Azad’s resignation has unsettled the formation on its very first day of appointments, as some committee members are believed to leave the committees in revolt to the decisions made by the party.
Patel further said, “I have only seen resignations on social media page and through news. I have not yet received any official resignations.
Moreover, the party is not divided, whenever the change happens, that’s a reaction to the action; the rejig has been after 7 years, there are some people who like it and others who don’t, this happens in politics.” Experts and party leaders believe Azad’s sunny days in the party seem over as he has, over the recent years, ceased to mend fences with the Gandhi family and his influence in the party is also waning. Moreover, a CWC member also indicated that Azad’s relevance in the party is fading.