UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Cong leader Rahul Gandhi, former PM Manmohan Singh along with other CWC members.... Read More

NEW DELHI: Faced with a vertical split between the old guard and youth brigade over the party’s position on bifurcation of J&K and voiding of Article 370 , Congress has called a meeting of senior office-bearers, including all general secretaries, state in-charges and presidents, on August 9 to discuss the issue in detail.

The announcement of the meeting by organisation general secretary KC Venugopal on Wednesday is seen as an attempt to iron out differences of opinion over Kashmir ahead of the crucial CWC meet on August 10, where the question of Congress leadership will take centre-stage.

Tuesday’s meeting of the CWC, attended by seniors Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi among others, saw a robust debate with the young members questioning the party’s opposition of the abrogation of Article 370 by talking of ‘perception versus reality’. As veterans Ghulam Nabi Azad and P Chidambaram explained the constitutional technicalities and history of Article 370, members like Jyotiraditya Scindia, Deepender Hooda and Jitin Prasada mentioned that public sentiment was different.

The divided opinion also saw the CWC pass a nuanced resolution deploring the “unilateral, brazen and totally undemocratic” manner in which provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution were abrogated and the state of Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated by the government. The resolution reiterated that Congress believed Kashmir is an integral part of the Indian Republic and that the J&K issue is an “internal matter”, a clarification that sought to quell the controversy triggered by Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s gaffe in LS.

UP Cong neta quits over 370

UP Congress Committee general secretary NP Singh resigned from the party saying the stand it took on Art 370 was against national interest.

