Anand Sharma wrote a letter to Sonia Gandhi announcing her move. (File)
New Delhi:
Senior Parliament Leader Anand Sharma on Sunday said he would step down as head of the “directing committee” of the party’s Himachal Pradesh unit, days after a similar move in Jammu and Kashmir, led by veteran Ghulam The Prophet Azad led.
In a letter to Parliament Speaker Sonia Gandhi ahead of the council elections in Himachal Pradesh, Mr Sharma said he felt left out by the party’s decisions ahead of the polls and that his self-esteem was “non-negotiable,” the sources said.
“To reiterate that I’ve been an MP for life and remain steadfast in my beliefs…as I continue to be excluded and humiliated, as a person of self-respect – I have no choice” , he wrote on Twitter.
Commitment to thought Congress has run in my blood, no doubt about it! However, as a self-respecting person who is constantly excluded and insulted, I have no choice. 2/2
– Anand Sharma (@AnandSharmaINC) August 21, 2022
Mr. Azad, another member of the congressional dissident group dubbed “G-23”, resigned as chairman of the campaign committee as well as the political council in Jammu and Kashmir a few days ago.
Mr. Sharma has told the Speaker that he was omitted during consultations for the elections. However, he told her he would continue to campaign for party candidates in the state.
The former union minister and deputy leader of Parliament in Rajya Sabha was appointed chairman of the party’s “steering committee” in Himachal Pradesh on April 26.
Both Mr. Azad and Mr. Sharma are prominent leaders of the G-23 group, which has criticized the decisions of the party leadership and has called for a radical overhaul to revive the party’s fortunes.
The group, which includes prominent veterans including Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Manish Tewari, has insisted on holding real elections right from the bloc to the party’s top decision-making body, the Parliamentary Work Committee.
Mr Sharma, who is regarded as one of the party’s top leaders from Himachal Pradesh, told the parliament speaker in his letter that his self-esteem had been damaged because he was not consulted. or be invited to any party meeting.
The congress hopes to skip the BJP in the Himachal Pradesh council polls scheduled for later this year, for which Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has made a tripartite run for the first time since. many years.
Mr Sharma, who first ran for parliamentary elections in 1982 and was awarded the Rajya Sabha ticket by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984, has been a Rajya Sabha member since then and has held a number of positions. key in the party.
