Make Azad head of Cong poll campaign, leaders tell Rahul

Amit Khajuria
Tribune News Service
Jammu, February 9

Senior Congress leaders, including former ministers and legislators in J&K, have asked party president Rahul Gandhi to review his list for the poll campaign in the state and urged him to give the primary role to Ghulam Nabi Azad as he was “indispensable for the party’s victory in the upcoming general election”.

Congress leaders, including Madan Lal Sharma, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed, Sham Lal Sharma and GM Saroori, passed a unanimous resolution demanding that Azad may be given full charge of the election campaign in the state.

The resolution has come in the wake of the constitution of five campaign panels announced for J&K by Rahul Gandhi on Thursday and with Azad announcing his disassociation from the panels saying he was now firmly rooted in national politics.

A vast section of Congress leaders have made it clear to Gandhi that Azad was seen and admired as a face of development in J&K as he had initiated and completed a number of developmental projects during his short stint as Chief Minister from November 2005 to July 2008.

Azad had led the party to highest number of seats after many years in 2002 and also in 2008, but the party fell to a mere 12 seats in 2014 elections.

The leaders said they “sincerely hoped that Congress president Rahul Gandhi will accede to our request as Azad was a uniting force and leaders of all three regions will work under his dynamic leadership as one”. They said his role was a necessity to defeat the “communal forces”.

Resolution passed 

Congress leaders, including Madan Lal Sharma, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed, Sham Lal Sharma and GM Saroori, passed a unanimous resolution demanding that Ghulam Nabi Azad may be given full charge of the election campaign in the state.