Restructuring of PCC with 3 provincial presidents suggested
Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, June 2: When senior leaders of Congress in Jammu and Kashmir were deliberating over the reasons of debacle in recently held Lok Sabha elections and how to rejuvenate the party in the State, a number of middle rung Congress functionaries and district presidents were resenting keeping them out from the significant review meeting, which was held under the chairmanship of Ghulam Nabi Azad at Srinagar this evening.
Because of the resentment , Srinagar district president of the Congress, Irfan Naqib and several other party functionaries boycotted the Iftaar party, which was held in between the marathon meeting, which lasted for more than five hours.
“The state of affairs in Congress party can be gauged from the fact that leaders like Tariq Hamid Karra, who did not campaign in any of the Parliamentary constituencies during the elections, have been invited to discuss reasons of the debacle while the party functionaries who worked at ground level were deliberately not invited in the meeting,” said Irfan Naqib alleging that such approach was responsible for humiliating defeat in the elections.
However, on the other hand, sources told the Excelsior that the meeting of senior Congress leaders listed BJP triggered polarization in Jammu and alleged use of money power in Ladakh as main reasons behind the Congress debacle in these two reasons even as no specific cause for defeat in Kashmir was explained.
Besides taking feedback on the apparent reasons for debacle in Lok Sabha election, sources said that the meeting also deliberated over the measures suggested for rejuvenating the party in Jammu and Kashmir.
Suggesting restructuring of the organization in the State, sources said that leaders from Jammu and Ladakh in the meeting proposed three provincial presidents or working presidents for Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir regions. Even as the idea was not opposed by anyone in the meeting, there was no final decision on the same, sources added.
The meeting was chaired by Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and attended by AICC secretary, in-charge J&K affairs of the party , Shakeel Ahmed Khan, PCC president Ghulam Ahmad Mir, AICC member Tariq Hamid Karra, former Union Minister Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz, former Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, former Ministers Raman Bhalla, Madan Lal Sharma, Peerzada Sayeed, Taj Mohi-ud-Din, Dr Manohar Lal Sharma, Rigzin Spalbar and others.
The marathon meeting started at 4 pm and after a brief Iftaar break at 7 pm, the deliberations once again resumed till 10 pm. The participants discussed the performance of the Congress party in Lok Sabha elections, shortcomings, causes of defeat and decided to hold a meeting very soon to chalk out strategy for next Assembly elections in the State.
As all aspects and reasons for the party defeat in Lok Sabha elections were discussed, the participants held polarization and money power by BJP as main reasons for the Congress debacle. Pros and cons of alliance with National Conference were also discussed in the meeting, sources added.
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