Srinagar, Sep 13: Senior Congress leader and former J&K chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad being dropped from the list of general secretaries of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) is a strong message for the party leaders that dissent is not acceptable.
Azad, Ambika Soni and other AICC general secretaries who were dropped recently were signatories to a letter which was sent to the Congress high command to seek change in leadership of the party.
It’s in place to mention here that soon after these leaders sent the letter the meeting of Congress Working Committee held in New Delhi witnessed heated exchanges following which Azad had offered to resign from the party as well the party post.
An analyst while talking to Precious Kashmir said, “The recent decision of the Congress high command to sideline the old horses has driven home a point that the leadership won’t change. Sonia Gandhi will continue to be the interim president so that way could be paved for Rahul Gandhi to take over the reins of the grand old party again.”
An observer said that in the recent past Azad had dropped many hints about him planning to return to J&K politics but after losing the all important post of the AICC general secretary he may not find it that easy to make a comeback. “His loyalists have turned silent and there were reports that some of his close aides have asked Azad to float his own political party in Jammu and Kashmir,” the observer added.
He said, “Azad has spent all his life in Congress. It may not be that easy for him to say goodbye to the party. Shifting to J&K as a Congress leader is a better choice than floating his own party,” the observer added.
A politician said, “Returning to J&K politics at this point of time is not a viable option for a seasoned leader like Ghulam Nabi Azad. The J&K is no more a State now. It has been turned into a Union Territory and its being directly controlled by the Centre. The regional leaders, who dominated the political scene for the past seventy years, are struggling to make their presence felt. They have dropped enough hints that they won’t contest the assembly elections till J&K’s statehood is restored.”
“If Azad decides to return to J&K politics it will be big mistake on his part. He can think about this option after J&K’s statehood is restored. Till then he will have to accept any role which the Congress assigns him,” the politician added.
