In a major setback to Aam Admni Party (AAP) and Ghulam Nabi Azad-led Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP), over 20 leaders from Jammu and Kashmir who quit the parties joined the Congress on Monday in New Delhi. Among them are four former legislators and a sitting district development council member from J&K.
According to media reports, Taranjit Singh Tony, a DDC member from Suchetgarh in the RS Pura sector, Yash Paul Kundal, former MLA from Samba, AAP’s women wing president Namrta Sharma along with hundreds of their supporters resigned from AAP while former MLC Naresh Gupta, former MLA Sopore Haji Abdul Rashid, former MLC Sham Lal Baghat, and several other leaders, who were with Nabi's DPAD, quit the party and are set to joined the J&K Pradesh Congress Party today in presence of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge.
Other leaders includeing Saima Jan (DPAP), Shahjehan Dar (DPAP), Farooq Ahmad (AAP), Taranjit Singh Toni, Gazanfar Ali, Santosh Majotra (DPAP), Rajni Sharma (DPAP), Nirmal Singh Mehta (DPAP), Madan Lal Chalotra (APNI Party), Hamit Singh Batti (AAP), Ramesh Pandotra (AAP), Vaid Raj Sharma (AAP), Mandeep Chowdhary (AAP), Nazir Ahmed Auqab, Maheshvar Vishwakarma, and Jung Bahadur Sharma (DPAP) joined the Congress.
In a letter to AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal Tony said that the reason for his resignation is the inactiveness of the party in the region for the past eight months. “It is unfortunate that the organizational functionaries like Prabharis and Seh Prabharis responsible for reaching out to the people have come to a grinding halt, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir. One glaring example is the closure of the AAP office in Jammu for more than eight months,” read Tony’s letter, according to a report by Hindustan Times.
He further added, “Even they have not been responding to telephone calls. Despite repeated requests and efforts to approach the individuals responsible for extending AAP’s activities, our appeals have fallen on deaf ears. With a heavy heart, I hereby resign from the primary membership of AAP and from my position as chairman of AAP Jammu and Kashmir for administrative engagement and minority affairs.
Similar allegations have been made by the other leaders quitting the party. The leaders would also be meeting Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Monday evening.
Earlier referring to the 'rumours' of three party leaders quitting, a senior DPAP leader from Jammu said, “We know about two leaders from Chenab Valley who might be shifting to Congress Party. However, it would not impact us. They do not have any public support.”
“Congress Party is in a confused state of mind and they are trying to revive itself which is not possible with these leaders,” the DPAP leader said. according to a report by Greater Kashmir.
Several party leaders quit Congress after August 5, 2019. Recently, Congress said that they have opened their channels of communication with these leaders, who deserted the party back then. A report by Greater Kashmir quoted a Congress official saying, "We are hopeful of the return of these leaders."
Several other leaders, who had left the Congress to join Azad's party after he quit the grand old party and formed his own outfit, have rejoined the Congress since then.
