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| Congress rift deepens as rival factions hold parallel meetings in Billawar | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, May 24: The simmering factional feud within the Jammu and Kashmir Congress came out in the open on Saturday when rival groups of the party organised parallel programmes in the same area of Kathua district, highlighting the deepening divide between the official leadership and the dissident camp.
The unusual development unfolded in the Billawar constituency, where both factions held separate meetings simultaneously, each claiming to strengthen the party's organisational structure and outreach in the region.
While the official faction of the Congress, functioning under the leadership of Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president Tariq Hamid Karra, organised a meeting as part of the party's ongoing Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan-II, the dissident group led by former JKPCC president and Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Vikar Rasool Wani convened a separate gathering in the same area.
The parallel events are being viewed as a fresh manifestation of the growing internal rift that has gripped the party since the 2024 Assembly elections and subsequent organisational changes in the Union Territory.
The dissident camp's meeting was attended by several senior Congress leaders, including former Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand and former minister Dr. Manohar Lal Sharma. Sharing details of the event on social media, Vikar Rasool Wani said he had attended a party meeting at Mandli in the Billawar constituency along with Tara Chand and other senior Congress leaders. The programme was organised by Dr. Manohar Lal Sharma and local party workers.
The gathering was seen as an attempt by the dissident faction to demonstrate its influence and grassroots support in the region, particularly at a time when differences between rival groups within the party have become increasingly visible.
Simultaneously, the official Congress leadership carried out its organisational outreach programme under the Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan-II, a The parallel events are being viewed as a fresh manifestation of the growing internal rift that has gripped the party since the 2024 Assembly elections.
The dissident camp’s meeting was attended by several senior Congress leaders, including former Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand and former minister Dr. Manohar Lal Sharma.
The gathering was seen as an attempt by the dissident faction to demonstrate its influence and grassroots support in the region.
The development comes close on the heels of recent public attacks by senior leaders against the party’s state leadership, exposing growing tensions between senior leaders.
A team of observers and coordinators, led by Thakur Hari Singh Chib and comprising Shashi Sharma, Babbal Gupta, Jang Bahadur and Tirth Ram Bhagat, visited Billawar as part of the campaign. The programme was attended by former MLA Thakur Balbir Singh, District Congress Committee (DCC) Kathua president Pankaj Dogra, Block Congress leaders and other senior party functionaries.
According to party sources, leaders and workers from Mandli, Duggain, Baggan and Lohai Malhar blocks participated in the meeting and interacted with the observers and coordinators regarding the formation and strengthening of organisational units at the block level.
Senior leaders from the Pradesh Congress Committee, District Congress Committee, Block Congress Committees and various frontal organisations also attended the event and discussed measures to revitalise the party's organisational network in the region.
Political observers believe the holding of parallel meetings in the same area by rival factions reflects the extent of factionalism within the Jammu and Kashmir Congress. The development comes close on the heels of recent public attacks by senior leaders against the party's state leadership, exposing growing tensions between the Karra-led establishment and the dissident camp spearheaded by Vikar Rasool Wani and his supporters.
With both camps continuing to flex their organisational muscle and mobilise supporters independently, the latest episode is likely to add to the concerns of the Congress high command, which has been striving to maintain unity within the party in Jammu and Kashmir.
The parallel programmes at Billawar have once again underlined the challenges facing the Congress leadership in bridging internal differences and presenting a united front ahead of future political and organisational battles in the Union Territory. |
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