After maintaining a guarded silence for two days, leaders of the Jammu and Kashmir Congress on Sunday launched a counterattack and offensive on former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad for "betraying" the party at this crucial time.
An emergent meeting of senior Congress leaders was convened today at Srinagar to discuss the situation emerging in the wake of a spate of resignations by loyalists of Ghulam Nabi Azad.
The meeting was held at the residence of veteran leader Prof.Saifuddin Soz. Besides Soz, the meeting was attended by Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed, Viqar Rasool Wani, newly appointed president of J&K Congress, G.A.Mir, Tariq Hameed Karra, Raman Bhalla, Mula Ram, Khemlata Wakhloo, Yogesh Sawhney, Raman Mattoo, Bashir Ahmad Magrey, Mohammad Muzaffar Parray, G.N.Monga, and S.S.Channi.
The meeting termed the resignation of Azad as unfortunate especially, when Sonia Gandhi is abroad seeking treatment for herself.
The meeting felt confident that the J&K Pradesh Congress Committee would remain steadfast with the All India Congress Committee led by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. The meeting also decided to leave no stone unturned to further strengthen Congress Party through J&K State.
Azad joins communal forces
Former president of J&K Congress Ghulam Ahmad Mir regretted that Ghulam Nabi Azad has joined communal forces to defeat secular forces of the country.
"Azad would meet the same fate as ex-Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh", said Mir.
Questioning the timing of Azad's resignation, Mir said he should have waited for Congress president Sonia Gandhi's return from abroad.
He said the whole country knows that there are only two camps in the country now. "On one hand, there is a party in government with a thinking of breaking India, and on the other is the thinking of uniting the country which the Congress party is leading under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi", he said.
One more former Minister resigns from Congress
Meanwhile, Congress suffered another jolt on Sunday as its senior leader and former minister Taj Mohiuddin resigned from the party and joined Ghulam Nabi Azad-led front.
Taj Mohiuddin is a prominent Gujjar leader, who has influence in both the Jammu and Kashmir provinces of the Union Territory.
"Today, I wrote to the Congress president and the general secretary, and others that I am resigning from all the posts which I was holding, including the primary membership of Congress", Mohiuddin told reporters at a press conference at Srinagar.
He said he will join the Azad-led party. The former minister said the Azad-led party has no ties with the BJP and his relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi was personal and not political. Azad's relationship with Modi doesn't mean those are political ties Some people allege that he has some terms with the BJP.
