Why did Ghulam Nabi Azad quit Congress’ J&K committee after being appointed chairman?

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad made heads turn after his seemingly unprecedented decision on Tuesday when he decided to quit the Jammu and Kashmir committee of the Congress party mere hours after being appointed its chairman.

Soon after becoming the Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir committee of the Congress, Azad tendered his resignation from the post. As per sources, he has resigned from both party’s campaign committee and Jammu and Kashmir political affairs committee.

According to sources, Azad has refused to assume the post of Campaign Committee chairman of Jammu and Kashmir due to health reasons. He has conveyed this to the Congress leadership and has also thanked the leadership for giving him the responsibility.

The development came after Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday appointed Vikar Rasool Wani as the party`s J-K unit president and Raman Bhalla as working president. Earlier, the J-K Congress president post was held by Ghulam Ahmed Mir, who is believed to be a close aide of Azad.

Though Ghulam Nabi Azad cited health reasons while stepping down from the Jammu and Kashmir committee head post, sources have also said that he is disgruntled with the top management and saw his new post in the party as a demotion.

Ghulam Nabi Azad is one of the senior-most leaders in the Congress party, with a heavy influence in Jammu and Kashmir. He has served as the Chief Minister of J&K in the past, and also held the post of a Union minister as well as other portfolios.

His resignation from the party post indicated an internal rift in the Congress party, which might lead to a revolt by several leaders against the top party management which consists of the Gandhi family.

The reshuffle in the party’s Jammu and Kashmir unit is believed to have angered many leaders. Former Congress MLA Gulzar Ahmad Wani stepped down from the coordination committee as a mark of protest against the appointment of the PCC chief in J-K.