Jammu: A three-member inquiry committee constituted by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) has arrived in Srinagar to address the ongoing infighting and factionalism within the Jammu and Kashmir Congress unit. The panel held separate meetings with various leaders—including state Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra and former state chief Vikar Rasool Wani—to understand their respective viewpoints.
It is worth noting that factionalism within the state Congress has intensified recently. Last week, former state Congress president Vikar Rasool Wani made sharp remarks against the incumbent state Congress chief, Tariq Hameed Karra, and some other leaders during a public meeting. Former Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand is also with them. They have been running a campaign against Tariq Hameed Karra and some other leaders. Tariq Hameed Karra complained about this to the Congress chief and subsequently, both factions were summoned to Delhi a few days back.
The dissident leaders in the Jammu and Kashmir Congress have temporarily suspended their parallel activities following a stern warning from the party high command.
ICC General Secretary KC Venugopal, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had constituted an enquiry committee with immediate effect. The panel is headed by Shaktisinh Gohil, while Dr Amar Singh and Rafeek Khan will serve as members. The panel has been tasked with examining the allegations, identifying the causes behind the growing factionalism within the JKPCC, and recommending measures to strengthen organisational discipline and unity.
Party leaders believe the committee’s report will shape the Congress high command’s future strategy in Jammu and Kashmir and may lead to significant organisational decisions aimed at restoring cohesion within the party ranks.
As per sources the committee held separate meetings in Srinagar with five leaders, including State Congress President Tariq Hameed Karra, National General Secretary Ghulam Ahmed Mir, and Waqar Rasool Wani. The committee has reportedly asked all of them to present their views in writing as well. According to Congress sources, the committee will meet with almost all key leaders of the state Congress and gather feedback on organizational issues.
The visit of the inquiry panel comes at a time when dissident leaders, who had been holding separate meetings and public programmes in different parts of Jammu and Kashmir, have reportedly suspended such activities after intervention by the party’s central leadership. The Congress high command intends to completely eliminate factionalism in Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the Panchayat and municipal body elections.
The factional divide has its roots in the political realignments that followed the resignation of senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad from the party in August 2022. Azad’s departure triggered an exodus of several Congress leaders from Jammu and Kashmir, including Tara Chand, who later joined Azad’s Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP). However, after the regional party failed to make a significant electoral impact, many leaders, including Tara Chand, returned to the Congress fold. Wani remained with the Congress and continued as PCC president until he was replaced by Karra in 2024.
