After Ghulam Nabi Azad, 64 more Congress leaders quit party in Jammu

JAMMU: In another big jolt to the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir, a big chunk of 64 senior party leaders, including former deputy chief minister Tara Chand, resigned from the party in support of Ghulam Nabi Azad on Tuesday.They submitted a mass resignation letter to Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi.Tara Chand and several others, including Abdul Majid Wani, Manohar Lal Sharma, Gharu Ram (all ex-ministers), former MLA Balwan Singh and office bearers announced their resignations from their party, including its primary membership at a press conference.Addressing media persons, Thakur Balwan Singh said, "We have submitted a joint resignation letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi in support of Azad.""It is with great regret that we have to announce our resignation from the Congress party of which we have been part of several decades and given prime of our life for the party and its expansion in Jammu and Kashmir," he said."Our resignation is a conscious decision as a result of coterie-centric decision making by the leadership, which has lost its balance and sense of direction." "This announcement is also our endorsement of what our leader Ghulam Nabi Azad has stated in his letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi that the party has a disconnect with the grass root workers," Singh added."Accordingly we declare our support to our leader Ghulam Nabs Azad for his unparalleled vision for the nation and in particular to Jammu and Kashmir," Singh said. Terming Azad's tenure as chief minister of J&K an era of development, Singh said, "He is the one who has given positive direction to the state of affairs all the time Azad Sahab's tenure as chief minister though for a very short period between 2005-2008 is documented in history as that of development and communal harmony." Hoping restoration of statehood to J&K, Singh said, "We are confident that J&K will be able to get statehood back after a gap of three years under the leadership of Azad and he is the most powerful voice for statehood of J&K and early elections." "Azad Sahab is a perennial hope for the people of J&K for bridging gaps between regions and communities, he said, adding, "We are sure that the vision of Azad Sahab will help J&K and its depressed masses to come out of the dark shadows of pessimism and to head towards a bright future."Mass resignation of these leaders addressed to Sonia Gandhi stated, "Owing to the circumstances and the leadership crisis in Congress party, where a Goterie surrounding party high command is calling shots in the most irresponsible manner and ruining the party." "All of us had a very long association with the party spanning over decades and devoted all our energy and resources toward expanding the party in Jammu & Kashmir, but unfortunately we found that the treatment meted to us was humiliating, to say the least." It added, "With our leader and mentor Ghulam Nabi Azad having resigned from the party on the issues listed by him in a letter to you, we believe that we should also come out of Congress to make some worthwhile contribution in building a positive political society." "We all support Mr Azad, and we will join him in his journey to lead J&k to a bright future, it said, following, " 64 names of the signatories.