As infighting intensified in the faction-ridden Jammu and Kashmir unit of the party, the Congress high command has summoned senior leaders of both groups for an important meeting on June 27 at Delhi to bring a "truce".
Apart from leaders of both the warring factions, some neutral leaders are also asked to attend the meeting to evolve a consensus to unitedly fight the coming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
"High command wants to end infighting before the Assembly elections to give a tough fight to the BJP in Jammu region where the party has successfully increased its vote bank in the just concluded Lok Sabha elections", a senior Congress told The International Bussiness Times.
Wishing anonymity, the leader said that the high command would not hesitate to take strict action against those who would be found involved in encouraging factionalism in the party.
"The party high command will not take any chance before the Assembly elections in J&K so party leadership wants to solve the crisis as early as possible", sources said and added that about two dozen senior leaders have been called for an emergent meeting on June 27.
Dissidents demand removal of Wani as PCC chief
Although infighting in the J&K Congress was going on the very first day when Vikar Rasool Wani was appointed as party chief, demand for his removal intensified after the party's debacle in three successive Lok Sabha elections in Jammu province.
Despite anti-incumbency against the two sitting Lok Sabha members of BJP in Jammu province, the Congress failed to capitalize due to factionalism in the J&K unit.
Congress lost the Jammu-Reasi and Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seats for the third successive term.
Although the vote share of Congress has increased and BJP's victory margins have slashed from 3.5 lakhs to over one lakh, Congress failed to snatch any of two Lok Sabha seats from the BJP.
Dissidents wrote letters against the PCC chief
Some party leaders have written to AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, accusing the local unit president, Vikar Rasool Wani, of "ruining the party" in the Union Territory.
The Congress has lost two parliamentary seats in Jammu to the BJP for three consecutive terms.
Facing another setback, dozens of party leaders are now demanding Vikar Rasool's removal. They accuse him of sidelining senior leaders, causing divisions within the party, and creating a harmful situation for the party's operations, sources said.
Reports indicate that four letters have been sent to the AICC President and the Congress Working Committee. The first letter, dated May 7, criticized Rasool for ignoring office bearers and creating a crisis within the party. Another letter was sent to Congress Working Committee member Tariq Karra.
Sources say former MLA Sopore Haji Rashid wrote the third letter on May 30. Rashid, the senior vice president of the PCC, claimed he was sidelined by Vikar Rasool Wani during the election campaign.
The fourth letter, sent on June 2 by eight general secretaries, three vice presidents, three secretaries, and a district president, detailed more of Rasool's alleged misconduct.
Vikar Rasool became Pradesh Congress Committee president in August 2022, taking over from former minister Ghulam Ahmad Mir. Rasool, a former legislator from Banihal, was once close to former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad but chose to lead the PCC instead of joining Azad's new party.
