Senior leader in Jammu and Kashmir Abdul Gani Vakil quits Congress

SRINAGAR: Senior leader in Jammu and Kashmir Abdul Gani Vakil today announced his resignation from Congress in protest against party high command's "arbitrary and undemocratic" decision to appoint a "junior most person with doubtful credentials" as the chief of state unit.

Vakil, in a letter to AICC president Sonia Gandhi, said he would be the last person to accept the leadership of G A Mir as the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president "being the junior most and possessing doubtful credentials."

He termed the appointment of Mir as PCC President by Congress high command as "arbitrary, undemocratic and unfortunate".

"This unilateral decision of the party high command has risked the party's future to a greater extent in J&K State because multipronged challenges posed by new political dimensions has already jolted Congress party severely here.

"The prudence and circumstances demanded that strengthening a capable and dynamic leadership was inevitable to counter challenges being faced by the party here to preserve its existence and relevance," Vakil said in the letter sent to Gandhi on Monday.