J&K Congress chief Gulam Ahmad Mir resigns from post

Jammu, Jul 6: Amid infighting in the Jammu and Kashmir Congress, JKPCC president Gulam Ahmed Mir on Wednesday resigned from the post of state unit chief.

In a letter to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Mir has said that as a disciplined soldier, any decision taken by her regarding his successor shall be acceptable to him.

“As per the best traditions of the party, I put down my papers to facilitate the Congress president to appoint next chief of J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC),” he said in the letter.

J&K Congress has been battling with factionalism for a long time, with a group owing allegiance to senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad. Notably, several leaders of Azad faction had resigned from their posts in support of their demand for change in the leadership in J&K last year.

Mir, who was appointed as J&K Congress chief in March, 2015, has been serving the state unit as its head for past over seven years.

As the trouble of factionalism continued in the party unit, the Congress high command is believed to be in touch with the leadership in Jammu and Kashmir to iron out differences, keeping in mind that Assembly elections in the Union territory can take place soon.

There have been differences among Azad and Mir and the leaders supporting the former have complained against the latter.

“The factionalism was affecting the party despite Mir having made all efforts to end it,” a senior party leader said, adding the Azad group had one-point agenda to remove Mir.–(PTI)